Etiologies and clinical characteristics of macular hole: An 8-year, single-center, retrospective study

Abstract

To investigate the etiologies and clinical characteristics of full-thickness macular hole (FTMH) cases at Shanxi Eye Hospital in North China. Patients diagnosed with FTMH who underwent surgery from 2012 to 2020 were included, and the etiologies and clinical features of MH types were analyzed in an 8-year, cross-sectional, retrospective study. A total of 752 cases (776 eyes) were analyzed. The top 3 subtypes of MH were idiopathic (IMH, 64.4%), myopic (MMH, 21.1%) and traumatic (TMH, 3.7%) MH. Among these, there were significant differences in sex, age, and baseline best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) distributions. Females predominated in the IMH and MMH groups, while males predominated in the TMH group. The IMH onset age was older than the MMH and TMH onset ages. Baseline BCVA in the IMH (Z = 8.9, P < .001) and the other group (Z = 4.0, P < .001) was significantly better than that in the MMH group. In the IMH group, females were younger, had a shorter axial length (AL), and had a worse baseline BCVA than males, while in the MMH group, there were no significant sex differences. Multivariate correlation analysis showed that a smaller hole diameter in IMH, no retinal detachment in MMH, and a younger age in TMH may result in better baseline BCVA. The most common MH etiologies were IMH, MMH and TMH, which contributed to differences in clinical features. Females predominated in the IMH and MMH groups, and the onset of MMH occurred 6.5 years earlier than the onset of IMH. Therefore, early fundus monitoring in females and high myopia patients is helpful for the early detection and treatment of MH.