Epiretinal membrane (also known as macular pucker):
- can significantly reduce vision
- is treated through a surgical procedure
What is an Epiretinal Membrane?
- Also known as “macular pucker”
- A scar tissue that grows on top of the macula of the retina.
What is the Retina?
- If the eye were a camera, the retina would be the film of that camera
- The retina is a thin sheet of nerve cells that lines the inside back wall of the eye
- Light travels through the eye and ultimately reaches photoreceptors, the light-sensitive cells in the retina
- The signal from the photoreceptors then travel along the optic nerve to the brain, where the signals are interpreted as vision
What is the Macula?
- The macula is the center region of the retina
- The macula is responsible for high detail vision, central vision, reading, etc. The rest of the retina is responsible for peripheral vision.
- AMD affects the macula, and in turn, results in decreased vision for tasks like reading, driving, recognizing faces, etc.
How Does an Epiretinal Membrane Affect Vision?
- The epiretinal membrane pulls on and wrinkles the macula, distorting the orderly arrangement of photoreceptors and other cells required for high quality, crisp vision
- Vision symptoms include blur, decreased vision, and distortion (straight lines appearing bent or distorted)
Why Does an Epiretinal Membrane Form?
- In most cases, epiretinal membranes form as part of the natural aging process of the eye.
- Epiretinal membranes may also form in eyes with a history of retinal tear, retinal detachment, inflammation (uveitis), hemorrhage, or prior surgery
How is an Epiretinal Membrane Treated?
- Observation
- Appropriate for eyes with mild epiretinal membranes with minimal impact on vision and minimal impact on retinal anatomy
- Surgery
- For visually significant epiretinal membranes
What is Epiretinal Membrane Surgery?
- Pars plana vitrectomy
- Outpatient, day surgery
- Micro-incisional surgery whereby the delicate epiretinal membrane is gently peeled off the retinal surface, allowing the retina to assume a more healthy contour (and in turn, achieve an improvement in vision) over time
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