Purpose: To report the delayed development of idiopathic full-thickness macular hole in eyes with previously documented complete posterior vitreous detachment that were vitrectomized during surgery for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment.
Methods: Two interventional case reports with serial color fundus photographs and optical coherence tomography scans.
Results: Case 1: A 62-year-old man underwent vitrectomy, cryoretinopexy, and intraocular gas tamponade for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment associated with a complete posterior vitreous detachment. Three years later, he developed a full-thickness macular hole in the same eye. Peeling of the inner limiting membrane and gas tamponade resulted in complete closure of the macular hole with improvement in visual acuity. Case 2: A 70-year-old man presented with a macula-off inferior retinal detachment and counting fingers vision. Vitrectomy, cryoretinopexy to a single tear, and gas tamponade was successful and acuity improved to 6/9. He subsequently developed retinal redetachment associated with a new retinal tear and was treated by further vitrectomy and gas. He developed a full-thickness macular hole in the same eye 2 years later with acuity dropping to 1/60.
Conclusions: Macular hole formation may occur in the context of vitrectomized eyes. These observations support the hypothesis that anteroposterior vitreomacular traction, while traditionally implicated, is not always essential for the development of macular holes.