Vitrectomy and cystoid macular edema.

Twenty-two patients who underwent vitrectomy surgery for chronic cystoid macular edema (CME) were evaluated. These patients all had uneventful intracapsular cataract extraction, but CME with vitreous adhesions to the cataract incision later developed. Vitrectomy was performed to remove the vitreous from the anterior segment structures in each case. Nineteen of the 22 patients showed improved visual acuities within six months, and all but two had complete resolutions of the CME by one year. These two patients did show marked improvements of visual acuity. The majority of patients younger than 65 years of age had final visual acuities of 20/50 or better, whereas the majority of those older than 65 years had less than 20/50. The results were not influenced by the duration or the pattern of the CME prior to vitrectomy. A prospective study to determine the value of vitrectomy in this type of patient is suggested.