Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Case Report
Abstract: Macular holes are vision-threatening retinal conditions that can significantly affect a patient's quality of life. Secondary macular holes, often associated with intricate ocular histories, create significant obstacles in effective patient management. This case report discusses a gentleman in his 60s, whose routine monitoring for proliferative diabetic retinopathy revealed the emergence of a small full-thickness macular hole, likely worsened by his complex ocular history. His ocular history included a pars plana vitrectomy combined with heavy silicone oil tamponade following a traumatic retinal detachment three years earlier, alongside pan-retinal photocoagulation, anti-vascular endothelial growth factor and steroid injections for his diabetic eye disease. Spontaneous closure of the full-thickness macular hole within three months not only improved visual acuity from 1.04 LogMAR to 0.68 LogMAR but also illustrates the retina's natural reparative capabilities. This underscores the complex aetiology of secondary full-thickness macular holes, highlighting the interplay of trauma, proliferative diabetic retinopathy, anti-vascular endothelial growth factor treatments, and prior surgeries. Observation, especially in smaller secondary holes, can be a practical approach, using the retina's natural reparative processes while avoiding surgical risks.
Source: Cureus
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.82999
Institutions: Swansea University, Singleton Hospital
Language: English
Topic: Retinal and Macular Surgery
Subfield: Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4409794855