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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Teresa Sandinha, Professor David SteelORCiD
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
Copyright © 2026 Kodchawan Doungsong et al. Journal of Ophthalmology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Introduction: Primary idiopathic epiretinal membrane (iERM) is a common finding in people aged 50 years or over. It is treated with vitrectomy. There are no definite criteria for when to conduct surgery, and outcomes are variable. This systematic review assessed the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of vitrectomy surgery for iERM. Material and Methods: Medline, Embase, Cochrane Library and Scopus were searched. Prospective cohort studies, randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and health economics studies published from 2000 to May 2024 were included. The efficacy endpoint was the mean change in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) from baseline. Summarising effect estimates were used to synthesise results. Results: Twelve included studies (11 case series and 1 RCT) met the eligibility criteria. The length of the follow-up ranged from 1 week to 2 years after surgery. The majority of studies were carried out in Asia. Vitrectomy showed improvement in BCVA from baseline. The studies exhibited a wide range in the mean change of BCVA, with the greatest median change 12 months after surgery (0.29, IQR: 0.065). The RCT showed no significant difference between surgery and watchful waiting. Three studies used the National Eye Institute 25-Item Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI-VFQ-25) as their only patient-reported outcome to measure vision-related quality of life for iERM. The composite scores of NEI-VFQ-25 were significantly improved at 3 and 12 months after surgery. Vitrectomy surgery was found to be cost-effective in one included study, with an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of $4680 per quality-adjusted life year gained. Conclusion: Vitrectomy surgery demonstrated improvement in BCVA from baseline, but the RCT with a watchful waiting group showed no significant difference. Vitrectomy surgery was cost-effective. An RCT comparing iERM vitrectomy surgery and either delayed surgery or no surgery, and a health economics evaluation of the intervention are needed to confirm the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of iERM vitrectomy surgery.
Author(s): Doungsong K, Kwong HT, Sandinha T, Steel DH, Hartfiel N, Edwards RT
Publication type: Review
Publication status: Published
Journal: Journal of Ophthalmology
Year: 2026
Volume: 2026
Online publication date: 04/01/2026
Acceptance date: 15/12/2025
ISSN (print): 2090-004X
ISSN (electronic): 2090-0058
Publisher: John Wiley and Sons Ltd
URL: https://doi.org/10.1155/joph/5546933
DOI: 10.1155/joph/5546933
Data Access Statement: All data generated or analysed during this study are included in this published article and its supporting information files.
