What is a macular hole, in whom is it seen?
Macular Hole; The Macula is the name of the place in the center of the retina, which is the nerve layer of our eye, it is also called the yellow spot. We do most of our daily tasks, such as driving, reading, recognizing faces, watching television, thanks to the detailed vision formed by the macula.
When a hole develops in our macula, our central vision is impaired and we find it difficult to perform tasks that require detailed vision. A macular hole is usually caused by the decomposition of the gel layer that occurs in people over the age of 50.
As the gel layer of the eye is separated from the macula, the remaining gel particles shrink and may cause the formation of a shrinkage hole in the macula. A macular hole can also develop in young people after eye trauma.
What are the symptoms in the macular hole?
In the case of a macular hole, there are complaints such as decreased (blurred) central vision and distorted vision in the early stage.
As the disease progresses, vision decreases further and a black spot (a missing patch) appears in the middle of the visual center. Patients have difficulty reading, watching TV, recognizing faces.
How is the diagnosis made in the macular hole?
After the routine eye examination, the pupils are dilated with drops and the back of the eye (macula) is examined with special lenses. If a macular hole is suspected, your doctor may perform an optical coherence tomography (OCT-eye tomography) examination.
By means of this examination, the size of the macular hole, its duration, the vitality of the visual cells can be interpreted and an idea about the recovery process can be obtained after the treatment.
What happens if treatment is delayed or not performed in the macular hole?
In the macular hole, there is progressive and permanent damage to the visual cells at a slow rate. If the disease is treated early, very good vision levels can often be achieved again.
In cases where the surgery is performed late, even if the hole is usually closed, the vision level may remain low because the cells in the macula are permanently damaged.
What is the treatment for macular hole?
The treatment method for macular hole is vitrectomy surgery. Today, a 95% success rate can be achieved with vitrectomy surgery. The hole closes in a short time in most cases, but vision increases over months, a longer period of time.
In this surgery, the eye gel is cleaned by entering the eye with very small surgical instruments. The eye cavity is filled with a special gas. After the operation, the patient stands facing the ground so that the gas covers the hole and the hole closes by itself.
In this process, it is very important that the head is bent forward and that the gas covers the hole. After a few weeks, the gas will go away on its own.