Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 21, 2026
Author Spotlight: Ex Vivo OCT-Based Multimodal Imaging of Human Donor Eyes for Research into Age-Related Macular Degeneration
Published on: May 26, 2023
Tomographic Structural Changes of Retinal Layers after Internal Limiting Membrane Peeling for Macular Hole Surgery
Mun Yueh Faria1, Nuno P Ferreira, Diana M Cristóvao
1Vision Sciences Study Center, CECV, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.
Purpose:
To highlight tomographic structural changes of retinal layers after internal limiting membrane (ILM) peeling in macular hole surgery.
Methods:
Nonrandomized prospective, interventional study in 38 eyes (34 patients) subjected to pars plana vitrectomy and ILM peeling for idiopathic macular hole. Retinal layers were assessed in nasal and temporal regions before and 6 months after surgery using spectral domain optical coherence tomography.
Results:
Total retinal thickness increased in the nasal region and decreased in the temporal region. The retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL), ganglion cell layer (GCL), and inner plexiform layer (IPL) showed thinning on both nasal and temporal sides of the fovea. The thickness of the outer plexiform layer (OPL) increased. The outer nuclear layer (ONL) and outer retinal layers (ORL) increased in thickness after surgery in both nasal and temporal regions.
Conclusion:
ILM peeling is associated with important alterations in the inner retinal layer architecture, with thinning of the RNFL-GCL-IPL complex and thickening of OPL, ONL, and ORL. These structural alterations can help explain functional outcome and could give indications regarding the extent of ILM peeling, even though peeling seems important for higher rate of hole closure.
