Outcomes of Vitrectomy with Fovea-Sparing and Inverted ILM Flap Technique for Myopic Foveoschisis

Abstract

Surgical treatment of myopic foveoschisis (MF) can result in a macular hole in 11–17% of patients that may lead to poor visual outcomes and progression to macular hole retinal detachment. We evaluated the benefit of vitrectomy to treat MF using the inverted internal limiting membrane (ILM) flap and fovea-sparing ILM techniques. We studied 20 eyes of 20 patients (7 men, 13 women) with high MF (mean axial length, 29.3 ± 1.7 mm). MF was classified by optical coherence tomography findings: retinoschisis (7 eyes) or foveal detachment (13 eyes). Between October 2013 and June 2021, we performed vitreous surgery in all 20 patients, employing both techniques. Air tamponade was used in 4 eyes, SF6 gas in 10 eyes, and C3F8 gas in 6 eyes. All patients stayed in the face-down position for one full day postoperatively. Visual acuity and foveal contour were analyzed using optical coherence tomography before surgery and at 3 and 6 months postoperatively. LogMAR visual acuity was 0.46 before surgery, with a significant improvement at 3 months (0.34) and at 6 months (0.2) postoperatively (p = 0.024, p < 0.001, respectively). In all patients, the foveal contour showed improvement without macular hole formation after surgery. These results show that vitrectomy, performed using the inverted ILM flap and fovea-sparing ILM technique, is effective for treating MF.