Clinical Use of OCT in the Management of Epiretinal Membranes

Epiretinal membranes (ERM) are frequently seen in an aging eye, especially after posterior vitreous detachment, and can cause decreased vision, and/or metamorphopsia. Not all of the ERMs detected in routine ophthalmological examination are indicated to be removed with surgery. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) examination reveals the microanatomy of all the retinal layers and enables the vitreoretinal surgeon to make decision to follow-up or to perform a vitrectomy to peel the ERM. OCT imaging clearly shows all the tractions on the retina and the intraretinal layers; and can have a prognostic value for the surgery. OCT imaging is also very valuable in the differential diagnosis of pseudoholes with macular and lameller holes; much better than the clinical examination. It is a routine part of the detailed retinal examination of an eye with an ERM. This chapter covers OCT findings in ERMs, and examples of cases with ERMs indicated for surgery of follow-up will be shown, explaining the clinical results of the cases.