Effects of Internal Limiting Membrane Peeling in Vitrectomy on Diabetic Cystoid Macular Edema Patients

Purpose: We evaluated the effects of the peeling of the internal limiting membrane (ILM) during vitrectomy in diabetic cystoid macular edema (CME) patients.

Methods: Visual outcome and intraoperative and postoperative complications were evaluated retrospectively in 84 CME patients (100 eyes), all of whom had been followed for at least 1 year postoperatively. Before January 2001, we did not perform ILM peeling at our hospitals; 57 patients (66 eyes) treated before 2001 were included in this retrospective study as the non-peeling group. After January 2001, ILM peeling was performed in 27 (34 eyes) CME patients, who were included in this study as the peeling group. In the peeling group, indocyanine green (ICG) staining was performed at the time of ILM peeling.

Results: Visual acuity improved significantly after vitrectomy regardless of ILM peeling. Visual acuity improved gradually from 6 months to 1 year after the operation, and improved further at the final observation point in both groups. Visual acuity did not differ significantly between the two groups at any time point. There was no difference in the incidence of intraoperative and postoperative complications between the two groups. There were no adverse events associated with ICG-assisted ILM peeling.

Conclusions: Visual acuity improved with vitrectomy for diabetic cystoid macular edema in both groups. ILM peeling was not found to improve visual acuity postoperatively.