Correlation between Epiretinal Membrane Bridging, Visual Acuity andCentral Macular Thickness

Epiretinal membrane or macular pucker is avascular, fibrocellular membrane that develops on the inner surface of the retina that can result in various stages of macular dysfunction. Fine epiretinal membranes lead to minimal visual loss, whilst epiretinal membranes (that may or may not bridge the fovea) are, in their more severe stages, accompanied by macular edema and image distortion that is caused by pronounced tractional membranes and perifoveal capillary leakage. Macular edema and its’ type, as well as epiretinal membrane bridging the fovea can precisely be defined and monitored via optical coherence tomography. This study included a total of 138 patients (188 eyes) with epiretinal membranes (95 on the right and 93 on the left eye). Macular edema was present in 144 eyes with, and 69 eyes without, epiretinal membranes. Data obtained for both eyes indicates that upon analysis number of patients in both examined groups (epiretinal membrane bridged and did not bridge the fovea) increases exponentially with increased visual acuity, and suggests that there is no considerable difference in distribution of visual acuity with regards to patients in both examined groups. This data also indicates that patients with the worst central macular thickness (>500μ) are represented only in the group of patients where epiretinal membrane had bridged the fovea, but that in both examined groups there is a difference in prevalence of patients with central macular thickness of 400 to 499μ (more common in the group that did, than in the group that did not, bridge the fovea). Hence, there exists a relationship between epiretinal membrane that bridges the fovea and central macular thickness. Aim of this study is to determine the extent in which epiretinal membrane bridging or not bridging the fovea influences visual acuity and to determine the relationship between them; central macular thickness; and visual acuity.