Rates of Fellow Eye Macular Hole Development During Long Term Follow-Up

Abstract

Purpose

Identify the long-term rate of fellow eye full-thickness macular hole (FTMH) development.

Patients and Methods

In this single site, single provider retrospective consecutive case series, idiopathic FTMH patients who underwent surgery from 2003 to 2014 who also had at least 5 years of follow-up information within our electronic medical record (EMR) which was started in 2014 were identified. Cases with secondary causes (ie, trauma), high myopia, bilateral FTMH on presentation, previous retinal surgery, retinal breaks, or intraocular inflammation were excluded. Demographics, medical and ocular history, refractive error, phakic status, best corrected visual acuity, follow-up duration, surgical technique, single operation anatomic success, and reoperations were recorded.

Results

The rate of fellow eye FTMH was 2.6% (2/77) at 1 year, 5.2% (4/77) at 3 years, 9.1% (6/66) at 6 years, and 9.1% (7/77) as of final follow up. There were 2 cases by year 1, 2 additional cases by year 3, 2 additional cases by year 6, and 1 additional case reported thereafter. The average follow up was 11.1 ± 4.5 years. There was no significant difference in visual outcomes between primary eyes and fellow eyes. There was no significant difference in gender, age, ocular comorbidities, refractive error, phakic status, and visual acuity between the unilateral and bilateral groups.

Conclusion

The rate of FTMH in the fellow eye was low but significant, increased during long-term follow up, and may stabilize after 6 years.

Keywords:

• macular hole
• fellow eye
• surgical outcomes
• counseling

Disclosure

Dr Harry W Flynn Jr reports grants from NIH Center, outside the submitted work. The authors report no other conflicts of interest in this work.

Additional information

Funding

This work was partially supported by the Heed Fellowship. The sponsor or funding organization had no role in the design or conduct of this research.