Retrospective comparisons of vitrectomy with and without air tamponade to repair lamellar macular hole

Abstract

Background and objective: To investigate the surgical outcomes of vitrectomy with to that without air tamponade in eyes with a lamellar macular hole.

Patients and methods: The medical records of 23 eyes that underwent 25-gauge vitrectomy with air tamponade and 18 eyes that underwent 25-gauge vitrectomy alone were reviewed.

Results: The pre- and postoperative best corrected visual acuities (BCVAs) in logarithm of the minimum angle resolution units were 0.26 ± 0.27 and 0.12 ± 0.15 in eyes with tamponade and 0.35 ± 0.30 and 0.14 ± 0.23 in eyes without tamponade. There were no significant differences in BCVAs between the two groups both pre- and postoperatively. Postoperative BCVA was significantly improved in eyes with tamponade (P = .023) and without tamponade (P < .001). None of the cases developed a full-thickness macular hole postoperatively.

Conclusion: These results suggest that air tamponade may not be required during vitrectomy to achieve good BCVA and anatomic closure in eyes with a lamellar macular hole.