Macular Hole
What is it?
What is a macula hole?It is a hole in the centre of the retina. The retina is the lining of the back of the eye responsible for vision. Macular holes occur in the macula, which is the part of the retina responsible for fine vision (reading, watching TV, and recognising faces). |
What causes it?
What causes a macular hole?The eye is filled with a jelly called the ‘vitreous’ which is normally in contact with the retina. With age, the vitreous shrinks and pulls away from the retina. In some people, the vitreous pulls on the retina in such a way that it causes a hole in the retina. There is often scar tissue on the retina holding the hole open. |
Symptoms
What are the symptoms of a macular hole?You may notice distortion, blurring or total loss of your central vision. This is more noticeable when you close your other eye.
|
Diagnosis
How is a macular hole diagnosed?It has a typical appearance which can be diagnosed during an eye examination. The diagnosis is confirmed with a quick and painless test called Optical Coherence Tomography. This test is also known as an OCT scan. |
Treatment
What is the treatment for a macular hole?The treatment is macular hole surgery. Depending upon your own preference, the surgery can be performed using local anaesthesia (you will be drowsy and peaceful but not completely asleep) or general anaesthesia (in which you are completely asleep during the operation). The operation is not painful and usually takes under 1 hour. It involves keyhole surgery using tiny openings made in the eye. The vitreous is removed and any scar tissue is gently separated from the retina. This removes the tension forces that keep the hole open. A bubble of gas is then placed inside the eye to help seal the macular hole. To help the gas bubble to work, you may be asked to stay in a face-down position for the first 5 days after the operation. When the macular hole seals, the visual distortion and the central vision will usually improve gradually.
|
