[Prognostic factors in surgical treatment of epiretinal membranes]

Macular epiretinal membranes, whether idiopathic or secondary to vitreo-retinal pathology may result in a lowering of central vision and/or metamorphopsia following a distortion of retinal tissue. Although an adequate surgical peeling procedure is known to result in a functional improvement, the criteria for patient selection for such intervention are, as yet not clearly established.

In order to establish prognostic indicators of a good visual recovery, we studied 25 cases of epiretinal membrane. Our results showed an improvement in visual acuity of 2 or more Snellen lines among 34% of our patients, regardless of their initial visual acuity. The duration of symptoms prior to intervention was found to be a prognostic factor whereas the presence of macular edema detected preoperatively on fluorescein angiography had no effect on the final visual outcome.

A common post-operative complication came to our attention: secondary opacification of the crystalline lens.