Macular holes are usually a complication of the aging eye and result in the degradation and detachment of a portion of the retina.  The hole occurs in the region of the eye known as the macula, a specialized area at the center of the retina that is responsible for our most detailed and focused vision.  As such, the appearance of a macular hole can quickly lead to the degradation of vision leading potentially to legal blindness, however side vision is not affected.  Macular hole repair has a high rate of success, and over 90% of patients see some improvement of their vision, with as many as 70% of patients achieving 20/40 vision again following macular hole repair.

Macular hole repair surgery involves replacing the fluid in the eye (known as the vitreous) with an air bubble (gas bubble) that can put gentle pressure on the retina to stimulate it to repair itself.  Since this gas tends to rise, patients are encouraged to spend time face-down as much as possible for about 1 - 2 weeks to facilitate the repair.  Recent evidence has brought this practice into question, but your retinal specialist will talk to you about what is recommended in your case.  Sometimes, silicone oil is used as the replacement substance, which does not require lying face down but does require another surgical procedure to remove it.  The gas bubble goes away on its own.  Studies suggest that gas bubble gives better results.

Although macular hole surgery usually works to repair the hole, sometimes the vision impairment associated with the hole remains.  It is very difficult to predict how much visual improvement any given patient will experience.  But it is easy to predict that untreated macular holes will lead to serious vision impairment and possibly blindness in affected eyes.  To learn more about macular hole repair, schedule a consultation with a retina specialist at Horizon Eye Care today.