urgical management of epiretinal membrane in young patient

PURPOE: To report the outcome of epiretinal membrane (ERM) urgery in young patient. DEIGN: Interventional cae erie tudy. METHOD: A retropective review of 20 young patient who had undergone vitrectomy and epiretinal membrane removal. All patient had a preoperative examination, including fundu biomicrocopy, red free photograph, and fluorecein angiography. REULT: Nine patient were male and 11 female (age: 7–26 year; mean: 16.3 year). Follow up ranged from 4–96 month (mean: 21.2 month). The 20 patient compried 13 cae of idiopathic ERM, ix cae in which ERM wa aociated with ocular inflammation and one cae of combined hamartoma of the retina and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). In 13 cae, the ERM wa epecially white, thick, and opaque, with localized contriction and evere retinal ditortion. Final bet-corrected viual acuity (VA) wa ignificantly better than preoperatively (20/50 v. 20/112), (P = 0.0002). Mean improvement in VA wa 4.25 line and 17 patient gained two or more line. Thi improvement wa better in econdary than idiopathic ERM (6 line v. 3.3). During follow up, five cae of recurrence were oberved (25%). In another cae, potoperative peritent ocular hypertenion required filtering urgery. CONCLUION: The characteritic of ERM in young patient are quite different in many cae from thoe in adult in term of thickne and adherence. Removal of ERM in young patient i feaible and afe although the membrane may focally adhere trongly to retinal veel. VA uually improve ignificantly after urgery, but recurrence are more frequent than in adult.