Can a macular pucker cause poor vision in one eye?
If one eye has a macular pucker, there is only a small chance that pucker will develop in the other eye. Some patients wonder if the “strain” placed on the good eye can contribute to poor vision in that eye, but this is not the case.
Is the macular pucker the same as age-related macular degeneration?
Macular pucker is also known as epiretinal membrane, preretinal membrane, cellophane maculopathy, retina wrinkle, surface wrinkling retinopathy, premacular fibrosis, and internal limiting membrane disease. Is a macular pucker the same as age-related macular degeneration?
When do you need surgery for macular pucker?
When either the vision or the distortion is noticed, I recommend macular pucker surgery The earlier the better. Too often, patients with an ERM/macular pucker are told their vision is “not bad enough.”
How long does it take to recover vision from a macular pucker?
Most people are able to regain about half of the vision they lost from a macular pucker. Some people have much more vision restored, some less. In most cases, surgery can help with vision distortion. Vision recovery can continue for as long as three months after surgery.
What are the results of macular pucker surgery?
Although macular pucker surgery resulted in an increase in vision and a decrease of metamorphopsia in 83% of patients after 1 year, we assume, based on the biased patient sample we questioned after 5 years, that subjective assessment would be positive in only a small majority of the patients.
How can you tell if you have macular pucker in your eye?
Straight lines might look wavy, distorted or have missing segments. There may be a gray area in the central vision. Sometimes a patient does not notice a problem for some time because they do not cover their good eye and realize that they have a problem looking with the eye containing the macular pucker. Reading often becomes difficult.
How old do you have to be to have macular pucker?
That’s why macular pucker is seen most often in patients over 75 years-of-age. With enough shrinkage, vitreous can detach from the surface of the retina, a phenomenon called posterior vitreous detachment. Vitreous detachment is a normal process that does not typically cause symptoms (and is different than a macular hole).
When to remove ERM / macular pucker, retina specialist?
Too often, patients with an ERM/macular pucker are told their vision is “not bad enough.”. Patients with cataracts must wait until the vision is bad enough to qualify for cataract surgery. If the vision fails to meet certain criteria (usually 20/40 or worse), insurance will not cover the surgery.