Aim of the study is to assess the rate of postoperative intraretinal cystoid changes after pars plana vitrectomy with membrane peeling and peribulbar application of triamcinolone acetonide and to examine possible risk factors for postoperative intraretinal cystoid changes.

Epiretinal membranes (ERM) are disorders leading to vision loss and metamorphopsia. Vitrectomy with membrane peeling has developed to be the gold-standard in treatment of ERM. Nevertheless, there are about 10% of patients having intraretinal cystoid changes after surgery with potential for disturbance of visual acuity. The aim of the study is to assess the rate of postoperative intraretinal cystoid changes after pars plana vitrectomy with membrane peeling and peribulbar application of triamcinolone acetonide and to examine possible risk factors for postoperative intraretinal cystoid changes.

Inclusion Criteria:

• presence of an ERM
• indication for membrane peeling defined as significant loss of vision and/or metamorphopsia due to the ERM
• application of periocular triamcinolone acetonide at the end of surgery
• at least one follow-up examination present in the patient's history

Exclusion Criteria:

• macular edema caused by conditions other than ERM (such as choroidal neovascularization, diabetic macular edema, etc.)

Patients having undergone pars plana vitrectomy with membrane peeling and periocular application of triamcinolone acetonide at the end of surgery between June 2019 and January 2020 at the department of Ophthalmology of the Hanusch Hospital in Vienna, Austria, were selected for the study