Macular Pucker

Macular Pucker in Toledo, Lima, and Findlay, Ohio

Macular pucker is a condition of the macula that can distort vision. Your retina is a thin layer of photosensitive cells along the back of your eye and the macula is part of the retina. The macula is very small, but it plays an important part in your ability to see fine details and colors.

What is a Macular Pucker?

Macular pucker is a wrinkle or contraction in the macula, usually caused by scar tissue called epiretinal membrane. Sometimes called cellophane maculopathy or surface wrinkling retinopathy, macular pucker typically affects one eye, although it is possible to have macular pucker in both eyes.

Most cases of macular pucker are idiopathic, or have no identifiable cause. Macular pucker can also be seen in the settings of inflammation or prior retinal tears or detachment.

Macular Pucker Causes

Macular pucker can happen to anyone and is most often the result of aging. People with diabetic retinopathy and people who have had an eye injury or a retinal detachment may be more likely to develop macular pucker.¹

Treatment for Macular Pucker

Symptoms of macular pucker may be mild enough that no treatment is required, but any changes in vision should be evaluated by a specialist to ensure a correct diagnosis.² If symptoms are severe enough, a surgery called a vitrectomy can be performed to repair the condition.

¹ American Academy of Ophthalmology. Macular Pucker Causes. Available: https://www.aao.org/eye-health/diseases/macular-pucker-cause Accessed August 10, 2020.
² National Eye Institute. Macular Pucker. Available: https://www.nei.nih.gov/learn-about-eye-health/eye-conditions-and-diseases/macular-pucker Accessed August 10, 2020.