Purpose
To study the natural course of lamellar macular hole (LMH) as examined by optical coherence tomography (OCT) in a noncomparative
observational case series.
Methods
Forty-one eyes of 41 patients with LMH were included in this analysis. Baseline and final OCT findings related to LMH diameter,
foveal thickness and visual acuity (VA) were collected and compared. Mean follow-up was 37.1 months. Main outcome measures
were best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), diameter of the LMH opening, foveal thickness, epiretinal membrane (ERM), posterior
vitreous detachment (PVD) and vitreoretinal traction.
Results
The diameter of the LMH increased by an average of 13.7%. A statistically significant association was found between the LMH
diameter increase and the presence of ERM. The mean foveal thickness depicted a statistically significant decrease between
the initial and the final examination. The decrease of the foveal thickness showed to correlate with visual acuity deterioration.
BCVA was stable in 30 (78%) and deteriorated in 11 (22%) cases. In eight of the 11 cases, the visual acuity deterioration
ranged from 2 to 15 letters.
Conclusion
We identified an increase of LMH diameter related to the presence of ERM and a decrease of the foveal thickness within a period
of observation which ranged from 24 to 54 months (mean 37.1 months).
Keywords Optical coherence tomography - Lamellar macular hole - Macular thickness - Epiretinal membrane - Visual acuity
The study is not related with any proprietary or commercial interests. No sponsoring organizations have been involved and
no grants were received from any organization or institution.