Vitrectomy (25G) in a 69-year-old patient with vitreomacular traction syndrome in diabetic retinopathy after branch retinal vein occlusion
Mikołaj Guzikowski
Orcid profile, Sabina Kowalczyk
Orcid profile, Tomasz Wilczyński
Orcid profile, Sebastian Sirek
- Department of Ophthalmology, University Clinical Center, Prof. Kornel Gibiński, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice
- Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Katowice, Medical University of SilesiaKatowice, Poland
Orcid profile and Dorota Wyględowska-Promieńska
- Department of Ophthalmology, University Clinical Center, Prof. Kornel Gibiński, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice
- Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Katowice, Medical University of SilesiaKatowice, Poland
Orcid profile 
Article Category: Original Study
Published Online: Jun 04, 2025
Page range: 81 - 86
Received: Dec 15, 2024
Accepted: Apr 17, 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/ahem-2025-0010
Keywords
© 2025 Mikołaj Guzikowski et al., published by Sciendo
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Introduction
Vitreomacular traction (VMT) syndrome occurs when posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) induces traction on the macula. This traction can lead to the development of intraretinal pseudocysts and detachment of the fovea from the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). VMT could be isolated or associated with other macular abnormalities such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD), retinal vein occlusion (RVO), and diabetic retinopathy (DR).
Materials and Methods
A 69-year-old patient reported to the Ophthalmology Clinic due to a decline in his vision in the left eye. His medical history included a 30-year duration of diabetes, managed with insulin therapy for the past 5 years, as well as an episode of branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO). At admission, the left eye’s visual acuity (VA) was 0.02, with an intraocular pressure (IOP) of 20 mmHg. After evaluation and diagnostic tests, the patient was qualified for pars plana vitrectomy (PPV). The procedure involved applying a dye, peeling the epiretinal membrane (ERM), internal limiting membrane (ILM), and endotamponade with SF6 gas.
Results
The surgery went without any complications. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) revealed the release of macular traction and the restoration of normal morphology of the macula. Ten days after the procedure, a follow-up examination showed an improvement in VA in the left eye to 0.3, with an IOP of 16 mmHg.
Conclusions
PPV with removal of the ERM and ILM, combined with SF6 gas tamponade, is an effective treatment for patients with vitreomacular traction syndrome complicated by diabetic retinopathy and BRVO.