Displacement of foveal area toward optic disc after macular hole surgery with internal limiting membrane peeling

Purpose To determine whether there is a displacement of the fovea toward the optic disc after successful macular hole (MH) surgery with internal limiting membrane (ILM) peeling. Methods The medical records of 54 eyes of 53 patients that had undergone pars plana vitrectomy with ILM peeling and gas or air tamponade for an idiopathic MH were evaluated. Spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) had been performed before and >6 months after the surgery. The preoperative distances between the center of the MH and the optic disc (MH-OD), center of the MH and the bifurcation or crossing of retinal vessels (MH-RV) were measured in the OCT images. In addition, the postoperative distance between the center of the fovea and optic disc (F-OD) and the center of the fovea and the same bifurcation or crossing of retinal vessels (F-RV) were measured in the OCT images.ResultsThe F-OD was 2.67±0.33 disc diameters (DD), which was significantly shorter than that of the MH-OD of 2.77±0.33 DD (P<0.001). The F-RV was also significantly shorter than the MH-RV on the inner nasal area (from 0.85±0.16DD to 0.79±0.15DD; P<0.001), the inner temporal area (from 0.82±0.15DD to 0.77±0.14DD; P<0.001), and outer nasal area (from 1.70±0.31DD to 1.65±0.32DD; P<0.001), but it was significantly longer than the MH-RV in the outer temporal area (from 1.65±0.29DD to 1.68±0.29DD; P<0.001).ConclusionOur results showed that successful closure of a MH by vitrectomy with ILM peeling and gas tamponade leads to a displacement of the center of the macula toward the optic disc.