Effects of Vitrectomy on the Treatment of a Lamellar Macular Hole in Highly Myopic Patients

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy of surgical treatment for a lamellar macular hole in highly myopic patients. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 31 eyes of 31 patients with a high myopia, who underwent 23-gauge vitrectomy and inner limiting membrane peeling after diagnosis of a lamellar macular hole. Thirty-two eyes of 32 patients with no high myopia were selected as the control group. The best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was checked and optical coherence tomography was used to evaluate structural changes in the lamellar macular hole before surgery, 6 months, 12 months, and 24 months after surgery. Results: The high myopia group and the control group showed statistically significant differences between preoperative BCVA and central foveal thickness. The success of primary surgery was 96.77% in the high myopia group and 100% in the control group. At postoperative 24 months, the high myopia group showed significantly poorer BCVA, and a statistically significant difference in the central foveal thickness and the inner and outer diameters of the lamellar macular hole. In cases of foveoschisis or a very high degree of myopia of more than -8.0 diopters, there was no significant improvement in BCVA after surgery. Conclusions: Surgical treatment of a lamellar macular hole associated with a high degree of myopia showed excellent surgical success, but was as statistically significant as surgical treatment of non-myopia eyes. Early surgical treatment can be considered for a lamellar macular hole associated with a high degree of myopia when preoperative visual acuity and macular architecture are preserved.