Assessment of Retinal Function Using Full-Field Electroretinography in Patients Undergoing Vitrectomy for a Macular Hole

Purpose The aim of this study was to evaluate retinal function before and after vitrectomy in patients with a full-thickness macular hole (FTMH). Methods A total of 48 patients with FTMHs confirmed by spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) were enrolled. All underwent 23-gauge pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) with internal limiting membrane (ILM) peeling and gas tamponade. Retinal function was assessed using the RETeval™ (LKC Technologies, Inc., Germantown, MD) device before surgery and at one, three, six, and 12 months postoperatively. Electroretinography (ERG) recordings included standard photopic responses, photopic negative response (PhNR), and ON-OFF responses. Anatomical outcomes were evaluated using OCT. Results Statistical analysis was completed for 48 patients. Postoperative anatomical closure of the macular hole was achieved in all cases. A significant improvement was observed in both distance best corrected visual acuity (DBCVA) and near best corrected visual acuity (NBCVA) of the affected eye after surgery compared to preoperative values (p < 0.001). No significant differences were found between the ERG parameters of the affected eye and the healthy eye examined before surgery. Postoperatively, several photopic ERG implicit times (ITs) were prolonged in the operated eyes compared with the fellow eyes. Conclusions The RETeval™ system provides a non-invasive, standardized means of monitoring retinal function in patients with FTMHs undergoing vitrectomy. An FTMH appears to be a localized phenomenon, not associated with significant functional impairment of the entire retina, as evidenced by the lack of statistically significant differences in preoperative ERG parameters between the affected and fellow healthy eyes.