Visual improvement and regeneration of retinal layers in eyes with small, medium, and large idiopathic full-thickness macular holes treated with the inverted internal limiting membrane flap technique over a period of 12 months

Purpose This study aims to compare the improvement of best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and the reduction in defect length of external limiting membrane (ELM) and ellipsoid zone (EZ) in small (< 250 mu m), medium (>= 250 mu m), and large (>= 400 mu m) full-thickness macular holes (FTMH) treated with inverted internal limiting membrane (I-ILM) flap technique over a follow-up period of 12 months. Methods Ninety-one eyes of 87 patients were enrolled in this retrospective study. BCVA and spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) were conducted preoperatively as well as after 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months postoperatively. The defect length of the ELM and the EZ was measured using the caliper tool at each follow-up time point. Results BCVA improved significantly in the group of small, medium, and large FTMH over the time of 12 months, whereby the improvement did not depend on FTMH size over 9 months. Only after 12 months, large FTMH showed significantly higher BCVA improvement compared to small and medium FTMH. The closure rate was 100% (91/91). The defect length of ELM and EZ reduced continuously over the period of 12 months. There was a significant correlation between defect length of ELM and EZ with postoperative BCVA. Conclusion The I-ILM flap technique has very good morphological and functional outcomes in small, medium, and large FTMH over a long-time period, indicating that it can be considered as a treatment option in small and medium FTMH. The defect length of ELM and EZ is directly connected to postoperative BCVA.