TO POSTURE OR NOT TO POSTURE AFTER MACULAR HOLE SURGERY

Abstract

Phacovitrectomy for macular hole surgery without postoperative face down posture is a reasonable approach, as long as the eye has more than 70% gas fill (beyond the inferior retinal vascular arcade) on the first postoperative day. This study showed no statistically significant difference between patients who postured and those who did not posture. The combination of phacoemulsification, pars plana vitrectomy, internal limiting membrane, and gas tamponade in macular hole surgery reduces the difficulty of posturing in elderly patients. This technique saves the patient from exposure to a second intraocular intervention to remove a cataract which will commonly develop after vitrectomy and gas tamponade alone.