TRANSCONJUNCTIVAL NONVITRECTOMIZING VITREOUS SURGERY VERSUS 25-GAUGE VITRECTOMY IN PATIENTS WITH EPIRETINAL MEMBRANE

Purpose: To compare the clinical outcomes and the rate of complications of 27-gauge transconjunctival nonvitrectomizing vitreous surgery (NVS) and of 25-gauge transconjunctival sutureless vitrectomy surgery for idiopathic epiretinal membrane removal. Methods: In this prospective randomized study, 83 phakic eyes of 83 consecutive patients with an idiopathic epiretinal membrane were randomized to receive 27-gauge NVS (NVS-group) or 25-gauge vitrectomy (Standard-group). Main outcome measures were best-corrected visual acuity, central retinal thickness, nuclear density units' changes, and rate of complications. Results: Thirty-nine eyes of the Standard-group and 40 of the NVS-group were conside…