ILM peeling beneficial, not harmful

Peeling the internal limiting membrane (ILM) may reduce the rate of premacular fibrosis (PMF) formation, according to a study published in the June 2008 issue of Retina.

Ramin Schadlu, MD of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science at Washington University of St Louis, US and colleagues conducted a retrospective chart review to establish the rate of favourable outcomes after surgical ILM peeling to remove PMF. Patients undergoing pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) and ILM peeling (n=38) had visual acuity assessed before and three months after surgery. Complications and PMF recurrence were noted.

Patients with higher presurgical visual acuity had the most favourable outcomes, with no adverse events and high postsurgical visual acuity. Following surgery, visual acuity remained the same or improved in 89.5% of treated eyes. Visual acuity improvement averaged 2.2 lines. PMF recurred in 2.6% of treated eyes (n=1). Cataract formation was the most common adverse event; following extraction, two patients developed cystoid macular oedema (CME).

The researchers concluded that the rate of adverse events associated with ILM peeling was not as high as previously believed and that, within this group of patients, outcomes were not unfavourable.