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Epiretinal membrane
Retina & Vitreous
Key Points
- •ERM is very common (~12–20% over age 70); idiopathic (~80%) vs secondary (~20%, post-surgical, inflammatory, vascular)
- •PVD is the key initiating event - residual glial tissue on the ILM surface proliferates and contracts, causing retinal distortion and metamorphopsia
- •OCT is the essential investigation: hyperreflective membrane, loss of foveal pit, EIFL, pseudohole vs true macular hole distinction
- •Surgery (PPV + ERM peel ± ILM peel) indicated when VA ≤20/40 or significant symptoms; ~60–70% improve overall, ~50–60% gain ≥2 lines. ILM peeling reduces recurrence to ~1–5%
- •Preoperative VA is the strongest predictor of outcome - early referral gives better results than waiting for severe vision loss
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Keep reading Epiretinal membrane
17 more sections are included with the Clinical plan.
- Definition
- Epidemiology
- Aetiology and causes
- Pathogenesis
- Classification
- Risk factors and associations