MACULAR HOLE

The macular region is the central region of the retina that is responsible for clear and contrasting vision. A through defect in the central area of the retina is called a macular hole.

SYMPTOMS

· Distortion and blurring of straight lines

· A dark, fixed spot located in the center in front of the eye

· Loss of letters from the field of view when reading

RISK FACTORS

· Age

· High myopia

· Diabetic retinopathy

· Retinal venous occlusion

· Eye injury

· The presence of a macular hole in the fellow eye

DIAGNOSTICS

In addition to ophthalmoscopy or fundus examination, an objective method for diagnosing the macular opening is optical coherence tomography.

OCT is normal

OCT of macular hole

TREATMENT

The macular opening is treated surgically. A vitrectomy or removal of the vitreous body and removal of the inner border membrane is performed. Often, vitrectomy is performed in combination with cataract phacoemulsification with intraocular lens implantation, as this technique can accelerate the development of cataracts.

A gas-air mixture is introduced into the vitreous cavity instead of the vitreous body, which presses the retina, facilitating the convergence of the edges of the gap. An important condition for the postoperative period is the forced position – face down.

Immediately after the operation, the vision of the operated eye may be worse than before the operation, but as the gas dissolves, the vision will improve. As long as there is a gas-air mixture in the vitreous cavity, air travel is prohibited!

In some cases, with very large sizes of the macular opening, it is not possible to achieve complete closure. Then re-surgical treatment is necessary.

For early diagnosis, we recommend that all people over 50 years of age carry out self-control according to the “Amsler Grid”

The disease can be detected using OCT (optical coherence tomography).

The Foundation launched the School of Health project, which aims to prevent eye diseases in humans. At regular free events of the project, doctors of various clinics talk about what diseases lead to visual impairment and how to prevent them.

Each listener receives a referral for free OCT examination of the posterior segment of the eye.