Abstract:AIM: To observe the clinical features and the surgical outcomes of the high myopic (HM) patients with epiretinal membranes (ERM). METHODS: This was a retrospective study enrolled HM patients diagnosed with ERM who underwent vitrectomy between May 2012 and November 2021. Three groups were divided according to axial length (AXL): 26–<28 mm (n=43), 28–<30 mm (n=22), and ≥30 mm (n=11). Baseline characteristics and postoperative visual and anatomical outcomes were analyzed. RESULTS: Totally 76 consecutive eyes of 73 HM patients (27 males), with a mean age of 60.5±9.2y (range: 38–84y) were enrolled. The initial best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) of the three groups was not significantly different (P=0.498). Longer AXL was associated with a higher incidence of both inner and outer macular retinoschisis (MRS), ellipsoid zone (EZ) disruption, and foveal retinal detachment (all P<0.05). Only the eyes in the 26–<28 mm group showed a significant improvement in postoperative BCVA. BCVA was improved in 77.6% of the eyes. Among the eyes with BCVA not improved, 58.8% belonged to the group 26–<28 mm. The postoperative macular hole was seen in 1 (1.32%) eye. Multivariate linear regression analysis indicated that initial BCVA (P<0.001) and epiretinal proliferation (P=0.010) influenced the final BCVA. CONCLUSION: AXL is not significantly associated with visual recovery. Early operative intervention might have better visual and anatomical outcomes in HM-ERM patients.
