Peeling of Epiretinal Membrane: Analysis of Prognostic Factors and Surgical Complications, Impacting Visual Outcome

An epiretinal membrane (ERM) is the most common pathology of the vitreoretinal interface. First-line therapy for a symptomatic ERM is vitrectomy with ERM peeling. Clinical prognostic factors for postoperative visual acuity improvement include baseline visual acuity, age, duration of symptoms, and baseline pseudophakia. Postoperative optical coherence tomography (OCT) shows improvement in the integrity of the inner/outer segment junction and a reduction in the thickness of the ganglion cell complex and foveola. Retinal changes after ERM peel are also described using OCT angiography, fluorescein angiography, fundus autofluorescence, and multifocal retinography. Complications of ERM peeling include cataract formation, retinal breaks/detachments, ERM recurrence, and macular holes.