Internal Limiting Membrane Peeling During Idiopathic Epiretinal Membrane Removal: Pros and Cons

Epiretinal membranes (ERMs) are proliferations of fibrocellular tissue on the retinal surface. The manifestations of ERMs range from visually insignificant thin films to thick membranes that can create retinal corrugations and folds, leading to decreased visual acuity, metamorphopsia, and monocular diplopia. Epiretinal membranes and organized hyaloid membranes can occur in various pathologic states, such as proliferative diabetic retinopathy, proliferative vitreoretinopathy, uveitis, pediatric vitreoretinopathies, perisilicone oil proliferation, and endophthalmitis. 1 However, most cases of ERM formation are idiopathic, with the risk of ERM development increasing with age. The ERM formation is a relatively common phenomenon, as studies have shown that 2% of patients older than 50 years and 20% older than 75 years have some degree of ERM present. 2 Although the vast majority of these cases are visually …