Analysis of Prognostic Factors for Recovery after Vitrectomy in Patients with Idiopathic Epiretinal Membrane

Purpose: To analyze prognostic factors for morphological and functional recovery after vitrectomy in patients with idiopathic epi- retinal membrane (ERM). Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of patients with ERM who underwent vitrectomy. Postoperative outcomes were evaluated in terms of functional and morphological changes, assessing best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and central macular thickness (CMT) after 6 months. Logistic regression was used to identify factors influencing postoperative outcomes. Results: This study included 77 patients (35.1% men). Thirty-eight patients underwent combined vitrectomy and cataract surgery. Logistic regression revealed that better preoperative BCVA was associated with improved postoperative BCVA (p = 0.002). Among the 38 eyes that underwent combined surgery, longer preoperative axial length was linked to better visual outcomes in univariate analysis (p = 0.043), although the association was not statistically significant in multivariate analysis (p = 0.064). Younger age and thinner preoperative CMT were associated with better morphological outcomes (p = 0.034 and p = 0.001, re- spectively). Conclusions: Preoperative BCVA, age, preoperative CMT, and axial length are predictive factors for functional and morpho- logical outcomes after vitrectomy in patients with ERM. These findings may facilitate treatment planning and prognosis pre- diction before surgery. J Korean Ophthalmol Soc 2025;66(5):233-242 Keywords: Epiretinal membrane, Prognostic factor, Vitrectomy