الفهرس 
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Abstract
Epiretinal membranes (ERMs) have been reported after pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD). Peeling of the internal limiting membrane (ILM) can prevent post-PPV ERM formation but has a potential negative impact on macular structure and function.
The aim of this study was to investigate the anatomical and functional outcomes of ILM peeling during PPV for primary RRD.
This was a prospective nonrandomized study that included 60 eyes of 60 patients with a primary macula-off RRD and less than grade C proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR). Eyes were allocated into 2 groups; group A underwent PPV without ILM peeling and group B had ILM peeling. At the 3rd and 6th postoperative months, all patients underwent retinal imaging using spectral domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) and OCT angiography and BCVA was evaluated. Baseline characteristics and postoperative anatomical and visual outcomes were recorded and statistically analyzed.
We enrolled 30 eyes of 30 patients in each group. In group A, mean age was 44.6 years, while the mean age of group B patients was 49.9 years. Postoperative LogMAR visual acuity was significantly better in group A than in group B (p <0.001). At the 6th postoperative month, ERMs were demonstrated on OCT in 13.3% of group A and none of group B patients (p= 0.04). Retinal dimples were found in 53.3% of group B and none of group A eyes (p< 0.001). OCTA showed a greater vessel density of the superficial capillary plexus (SCP) in group A compared to group B eyes at both the 3rd and the 6th postoperative months which was positively correlated with visual acuity (p <0.001), while no difference was found regarding deep capillary vessel density.
We demonstrated that ILM peeling prevents ERM development in eyes undergoing PPV for uncomplicated macula-off RRD, but potential damage to macular structure and function suggests it should be reserved for more complex cases.