Özkan KOCAMIŞ, Kemal ÖRNEK, Batuhan GÖKCE
Retina-Vitreus - 2026;35(3):284-291
Objective: To investigate retinal structural changes following removal of long-standing epiretinal membrane (ERM). Materials and Methods: This retrospective observational study included 15 eyes of 15 patients who underwent PPV with ERM peeling. Fellow eyes served as controls. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), CMT, GCC, GCL, IPL, and RNFL thicknesses were assessed preoperatively and at postoperative week 1 and months 1, 3, and 6 using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography. Results: The mean preoperative disease duration was 34.6 +/- 24.4 months (range, 20-99 months). BCVA improved significantly from 0.30 +/- 0.17 preoperatively to 0.65 +/- 0.29 at postoperative month 6 (p=0.031). CMT decreased significantly during follow-up (overall Friedman test, p<0.001). GCC thickness demonstrated significant thinning after surgery (overall p=0.030), whereas GCL, IPL, and RNFL measurements did not reveal any significant change. Preoperative BCVA was not correlated with GCC, GCL, IPL, or RNFL thicknesses (all p>0.05). Conclusions: Removal of long-standing ERM resulted in significant visual and anatomical improvements. Postoperative GCC thinning may reflect retinal remodeling following release of chronic traction; however, progressive neuronal loss cannot be excluded on the basis of the present data.
