Macular Hole & Pucker Treatment Specialist

What is macular pucker?

Macular pucker, medically known as epiretinal membrane, happens when scar tissue builds up on the macula, the middle part of your retina. Because the macula handles your central vision, a macular pucker can distort your vision, causing blurry central vision.  

Macular puckers can happen when the vitreous gel that fills most of your eye starts to shrink as part of the normal aging process. Eye trauma or recent eye surgery can also cause macular pucker.

Sometimes the separation of the retina from the vitreous causes damage on the retina's surface. Your retina tries to heal itself, which causes a formation of scar tissue. When the scar tissue contracts with retinal movement, it creates a puckered area. 

Normally, this small area of scar tissue doesn't cause problems, but if it happens to form over the middle retina (the macula), the pucker causes blurry and distorted vision. Straight lines may look wavy, and it can become harder to see small details. 

How are macular puckers and macular holes different?

Macular holes develop in the same way as macular puckers, but the damage is worse. Instead of surface damage, a macular hole goes all the way through your macula. 

Macular holes cause the same types of vision blurriness or distortion, but a macular hole is more likely to cause a blind spot in your central vision. In rare cases, a macular pucker might turn into a macular hole. 

How does macular hole and pucker treatment work?

A macular pucker might not require treatment, especially if your symptoms are mild. In some cases, the scar tissue causing the pucker resolves naturally. 

If your macular pucker causes symptoms serious enough to interfere with your daily activities, you might need surgery called vitrectomy. 

In this procedure, your Retina Specialists ophthalmologist removes the vitreous and the scar tissue from your eye and then inserts a saltwater solution to maintain your eye shape and function. 

As with macular puckers, macular holes may sometimes resolve on their own. But, a larger macular hole may require injections into the eye to make the vitreous detach, which allows the hole to heal. 

A vitrectomy can also treat a macular hole. In this procedure, your Retina Specialists ophthalmologist removes the vitreous and injects a bubble made from air and gas. 

The bubble works like an inner-eye splint to keep your macular hole from moving so it can heal. You absorb the bubble and refill the vitreous naturally over time as your macular hole closes.

The Retina Specialists are here to help with all retina problems, including macular hole and pucker treatment. Book online or by phone now.