Biomicroscopic study of the vitreous in eyes with macular pucker after retinal detachment surgery.

The posterior vitreous condition of 43 eyes with macular pucker following retinal detachment surgery was studied using the El Bayadi-Kajiura preset lens mounted on a slit lamp. The posterior vitreous was found to be attached in one eye (2%), completely detached in 29 eyes (68%), and partially detached with residual vitreoretinal adhesion to the macular area in 13 eyes (30%). Macular pucker with partial posterior vitreous detachment was significantly more frequent (P less than .05) in eyes with refractive errors of -4 diopters or less. That condition was also accompanied by a higher incidence of dye leakage in the macular area by fluorescein angiography, a shorter time lapse between retinal detachment surgery and development of macular pucker, and a worse visual outcome than was found in eyes with complete posterior vitreous detachment.