Objective: To assess the anatomic outcome and visual acuities at follow-up after pars plana vitrectomy in the management of stage 2 macular holes.
Design: Retrospective.
Setting: Retina Consultants, Ltd, St Louis, Mo.
Patients: Thirty-three patients, aged 43 to 75 years, with stage 2 macular holes.
Intervention: Total pars plana vitrectomy with separation of the posterior hyaloid membrane and injection of intraocular gas followed by postoperative face-down positioning.
Main outcome measures: Visual acuity and anatomic appearance of the macular hole.
Results: Postoperatively, 20 (61%) of 33 eyes attained a visual acuity of 20/50 or greater. Twenty (61%) of 33 eyes showed an improvement in visual acuity, while nine (27%) of 33 were stable. Four (12%) of 33 eyes showed a decline in postoperative visual acuity with progression to a stage 3 macular hole. Twenty-five (76%) of 33 eyes showed stabilization or improvement in the appearance of the macular hole.
Conclusions: Pars plana vitrectomy in conjunction with postoperative intraocular gas tamponade may result in visual and anatomic stabilization or improvement in eyes with stage 2 macular holes. However, because of limited natural history data, it is unknown whether these results are any better than those that might occur without surgery.