Surgical outcome of eyes with idiopathic epiretinal membrane and microcystic edema in the inner retina

Purpose: To report the outcome of vitreous surgery in eyes with idiopathic epiretinal membrane and microcystic edema in the inner retina. Cases and Method: This study was made on 56 eyes that received vitreous surgery for idiopathic epiretinal membrane during the past 43 months. Microcystic retinal edema was present in 18 eyes and absent in 38 eyes. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) was used to identify microcystic edema in the inner retina. Cases were followed up for 6 months or over after surgery. Results: Visual acuity 6 months after surgery was significantly poorer in eyes with microcystic retinal edema than those without (p=0.003). Multivariate analysis showed that following two factors were related to visual acuity 6 months after surgery: presence of microcystic retinal edema (p=0.02) and visual acuity before surgery (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Visual acuity after surgery for idiopathic epiretinal membrane is influenced by the presence of microcystic edema in the inner retina.