Early postoperative evaluation of retinal function by electroretinography after vitreous surgery for idiopathic epimacular membrane.

Abstract

In this study, we used the PuREC to carry out electroretinography (ERG) measurements using skin electrodes to assess changes before and after microincision vitreous surgery (MIVS) for epiretinal membrane (ERM) and evaluate the stress on retinal function soon after MIVS. The study subjects were 18 eyes of 18 patients who underwent MIVS for ERM simultaneously with cataract surgery. ERG measurements were performed using a skin electrode on the day before vitreous surgery, on the day after surgery, and 1week later. The amplitude and implicit time of each waveform were measured, and the changes between preoperative results and those 1day and 1week postoperatively were investigated. Preoperatively, the dark-adapted (DA) 0.01 ERG, the DA 3.0 ERG a-wave amplitude, and the light-adapted (LA) 3.0 ERG b-wave amplitude were significantly smaller in affected eyes compared with their fellow eyes (P<0.05, Wilcoxon's signed-rank test). The day after surgery, all-wave amplitude showed no significant difference compared to preoperatively (repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) post hoc test). One week after surgery, the LA 3.0 ERG for b-waves and flicker ERG amplitude had improved from the value on the day after surgery (P<0.05, ANOVA post hoc test). Cone ERG components have improved within 1week after surgery by MIVS for ERM.