Purpose To investigate the associations between visual function and the optical coherence tomography (OCT) parameters in eyes with idiopathic epiretinal membrane (ERM). Methods Thirty-nine consecutive eyes with ERM were enrolled. In addition to OCT parameters, such as central retinal thickness (CRT), the area of gap between the ERM and the retinal surface (SUKIMA) was newly defined and calculated from the vertical and horizontal OCT images (SUKIMAv and SUKIMAh). The average of SUKIMAv and SUKIMAh (SUKIMAave) was used for the statistical analysis. The vertical and horizontal metamorphopsia scores (MV, MH) and the average of MV and MH (Mave) were also used for the analysis. Results The Mave was not significantly associated with logMAR visual acuity (VA) ( P = 0.57, linear regression analysis). Analysis using second-order bias-corrected Akaike information criterion model selection identified the age, CRT, and SUKIMAave as being associated with logMAR VA. On the other hand, among the OCT parameters, SUKIMAave and CRT were associated with the Mave. In addition, there was a significant relationship between SUKIMAh and MV ( P = 0.011) and between SUKIMAv and MH ( P = 0.0014). Conclusions We identified SUKIMA as a novel OCT parameter that is useful to predict both VA and metamorphopsia in patients with ERM.

Purpose This study investigated the relationship between retinal artery angle and visual function in eyes with idiopathic epiretinal membrane (ERM). Methods Ultra-wide field fundus imaging was conducted to analyze ERM and normal contralateral eyes. In addition to the logMAR visual acuity (VA) measurement, the average of the vertical and horizontal metamorphopsia scores (Mave) was measured using m-Charts for each eye. We calculated the retinal artery angle (Yugami correlated angle [YCA]) in all the examined eyes using ImageJ software. The YCAs were then compared between the ERM and normal contralateral eyes. Additionally, the relationship between YCA and visual function was investigated in the ERM eyes. Results Data from 40 patients with ERM were analyzed. The mean age of the participants was 67.1 ± 8.1 years. The YCA was significantly smaller in the ERM eyes, compared with the contralateral eyes ( P < 0.001, respectively; Wilcoxon signed rank test). Among age, axial length, YCAs, central retinal thickness (CRT), and central choroidal thickness (CCT), the optimal model for logMAR VA included age, YCA, and CRT. On the other hand, the optimal model for Mave included YCA and CCT. Conclusions The retinal artery angle may be useful for predicting visual function in eyes with ERM. Translational Relevance Our established quantitative measurements in fundus photography have potential clinical use in predicting visual function in ERM.

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