FIVE-YEAR FUNCTIONAL OUTCOMES AFTER EPIRETINAL MEMBRANE SURGERY: A Prospective, Controlled Study

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Retinal Surgery
• Visual Function Assessment

Background:

• Epiretinal membranes (ERMs) can affect visual acuity and cause metamorphopsia.
• Understanding long-term functional outcomes after ERM surgery is crucial for patient management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the 5-year functional outcomes of the inner retina following epiretinal membrane (ERM) surgery.
• To assess changes in retinal layer thickness and visual field parameters post-ERM surgery.

Main Methods:

• A prospective study involving 20 patients undergoing ERM surgery.
• Spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) was used to measure retinal nerve fiber layer and ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (GC-IPL) thickness.
• Humphrey visual field (HVF) testing assessed mean deviation (MD) and pattern standard deviation (PSD) over 60 months.

Main Results:

• Surgical eyes (SEs) exhibited progressive GC-IPL thinning compared to fellow eyes (FEs) throughout the 5-year follow-up.
• Significant thinning of the superotemporal GC-IPL was observed in SEs at 3 and 60 months (P < 0.05).
• HVF mean deviation was transiently worse in SEs compared to FEs at 0, 12, and 24 months (P < 0.05), with increasing pattern SD.

Conclusions:

• ERM surgery is associated with progressive inner retinal thinning, specifically GC-IPL loss, over 5 years.
• Transient worsening of visual field parameters, including mean deviation and pattern SD, was noted post-ERM surgery.
• These findings highlight the long-term structural and functional consequences of ERM surgery on the inner retina.