Macular Pucker

The macula is the center of your retina. It is responsible for your straight ahead vision. While reading the print on this page, you are using your macula. The cornea and lens in the front of your eye focus the image of these words onto your macula. The macula converts the light from the image on this page into a neurological signal that is processed by your brain.

When an extra layer of tissue forms on the retinal surface and then contracts to distort the central retina, we call it a macular pucker. A macular pucker is sometimes called an epiretinal membrane, cellophane maculopathy, a wrinkle, preretinal fibrosis or pseudomacular hole. Macular puckers are present in about 10% of people over the age of 50. They usually caused by a layer of vitreous--the gel that fills the eye--condensing on the surface of the retina and changing into a membrane. They look like a piece of scotch tape. Some macular puckers contract and pull the macula enough to cause distortion in the central vision. When this happens, patients can consider vitrectomy for macular pucker.

Vitrectomy for macular pucker improves the vision in patients 80% of the time about half way to normal. Since, the surgery, like any surgery, has some risks, most surgeons only recommend surgery for patients with significant visual symptoms. If a person with a macular pucker is having trouble reading, driving, or doing whatever they want to do visually surgery can be helpful. Usually this occurs when the visual acuity drops to 20/70 or less. Some patients with visual acuity between 20/40 and 20/70 have symptoms severe enough to warrant surgery. Usually when the vision is better than 20/30 surgery is not recommended because the risk of surgery can outweight the potential benefits.

Without intervention, only about 10 to 25 percent of eyes with macular pucker suffer progressing visual acuity loss. Macular pucker surgery is never an emergency. Macular puckers can be removed within a few years on onset with good visual results. In general the sooner a macular pucker is removed, the more likely the vision will improve. Still there is no harm waiting a few months before considering the operation. A small number, about 5 percent, of macular puckers will spontaneously peel and vision will improve. Most macular puckers are stable.





		Macular Pucker The macula is the center of your retina. It is responsible for your straight ahead vision. While reading the print on this page, you are using your macula. The cornea and lens in the front of your eye focus the image of these words onto your macula. The macula converts the light from the image on this page into a neurological signal that is processed by your brain. When an extra layer of tissue forms on the retinal surface and then contracts to distort the central retina, we call it a macular pucker. A macular pucker is sometimes called an epiretinal membrane, cellophane maculopathy, a wrinkle, preretinal fibrosis or pseudomacular hole. Macular puckers are present in about 10% of people over the age of 50. They usually caused by a layer of vitreous--the gel that fills the eye--condensing on the surface of the retina and changing into a membrane. They look like a piece of scotch tape. Some macular puckers contract and pull the macula enough to cause distortion in the central vision. When this happens, patients can consider vitrectomy for macular pucker. Vitrectomy for macular pucker improves the vision in patients 80% of the time about half way to normal. Since, the surgery, like any surgery, has some risks, most surgeons only recommend surgery for patients with significant visual symptoms. If a person with a macular pucker is having trouble reading, driving, or doing whatever they want to do visually surgery can be helpful. Usually this occurs when the visual acuity drops to 20/70 or less. Some patients with visual acuity between 20/40 and 20/70 have symptoms severe enough to warrant surgery. Usually when the vision is better than 20/30 surgery is not recommended because the risk of surgery can outweight the potential benefits. Without intervention, only about 10 to 25 percent of eyes with macular pucker suffer progressing visual acuity loss. Macular pucker surgery is never an emergency. Macular puckers can be removed within a few years on onset with good visual results. In general the sooner a macular pucker is removed, the more likely the vision will improve. Still there is no harm waiting a few months before considering the operation. A small number, about 5 percent, of macular puckers will spontaneously peel and vision will improve. Most macular puckers are stable.