CORRELATION BETWEEN INNER-RETINAL CHANGES AND OUTER-RETINAL DAMAGE IN PATIENTS WITH IDIOPATHIC EPIRETINAL MEMBRANE

To investigate correlations between the inner-retinal irregularity index and interdigitation zone (IZ) defects preidiopathic and postidiopathic epiretinal membrane (ERM) surgery.

The authors retrospectively assessed ophthalmic parameters in 89 eyes of 89 patients with ERM. They divided patients into the no-IZ defect (51, 57%) and IZ defect (38, 43%) groups. The IZ defect group was subdivided into recovered (22, 58%) and remaining IZ defect (16, 42%) subgroups, according to IZ recovery status at final examination. The inner-retinal irregularity index of each group was measured before and 1-, 3-, and 6-month postsurgery.

Clinical characteristics were similar in both groups. The IZ defect group had a statistically significant higher inner-retinal irregularity index than the no-IZ defect group before (P = 0.023), but not after ERM surgery. The inner-retinal irregularity index of the recovered and remaining IZ defect subgroups was similar before surgery, but differed markedly 6 months after surgery (P = 0.048). Changes in the inner-retinal irregularity index quantitatively correlated with IZ defect size before and after ERM surgery (P < 0.001).

The inner-retinal irregularity index differed significantly according to the IZ status and also correlated with the IZ defect before and after ERM surgery. The inner-retinal irregularity index may reflect the outer-retinal damage in ERM.