Surgical outcomes of epiretinal membrane removal after successful pars plana vitrectomy for retinal diseases

PURPOSE: To evaluate visual outcomes after a removal of an epiretinal membrane (ERM) secondary to rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD), proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR), or proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR). METHODS: The medical charts of 51 consecutive patients who underwent PPV to remove an ERM were reviewed in an institutional setting. The preoperative best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was evaluated to determine if it was a possible predictor of the postoperative BCVA. The visual outcomes in the RRD, PVR, and PDR groups were compared. Follow-up periods ranged from 13 to 90 months (mean, 40.9 months). RESULTS: After the ERM was removed, the postoperative BCVA improved significantly by 0.471 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution units for all groups (t = 8.99; P < 0.001). The postoperative BCVA improved by two or more lines in 43 eyes (84.3%). Patient age and the preoperative BCVA significantly correlated with the visual improvement (P = 0.0082 and P = 0.035, respectively). CONCLUSION: The BCVA improves after removal of an ERM following PPV for eyes with RRD, PVR, or PDR. Patient age and preoperative BCVA correlated with the visual improvement after the ERM removal.