A macular hole is when a tear or hole forms in your macula.
Macular Hole Symptoms:
Macular hole symptoms are similar to those of macular degeneration. The most common symptom of a macular hole is a decline in the central vision of the affected eye. Macular hole generally doesn’t affect peripheral vision, so that will be unaffected.
Additional symptoms of macular hole include:
- Distortion
- Blurring
- A dark spot in the central vision
Macular Hole Causes:
Age is the most common cause of macular hole. As you get older, the vitreous begins to shrink and pull away from the retina. Usually the vitreous pulls away with no problems, but sometimes the vitreous can stick to the retina. This causes the macula to stretch and a hole to form. Other times a macular hole can form when the macula swells from other eye diseases, or it can be caused by an eye injury.
Macular Hole Treatments:
Surgery called vitrectomy is the best way to treat a macular hole. Your ophthalmologist removes the vitreous that is pulling on your macula. Then he or she puts a gas bubble inside the eye. This bubble helps flatten the macular hole and hold it in place while your eye heals. The gas bubble slowly goes away on its own.
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