Comparison of Surgical Performance of Internal Limiting Membrane Peeling Using a 3-D Visualization System With Conventional Microscope

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To compare the surgical performance of internal limiting membrane (ILM) peeling in idiopathic macular hole using a digitally assisted vitreoretinal system (DAVS) and an analog microscope (AM). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients were operated on using an AM (Group A) and a DAVS (Group B). The data analyzed included surgical time required to complete ILM peeling, number of attempts to create ILM flap and complete ILM peeling, and intraoperative complications. RESULTS: Each group included 20 patients. The average surgical time for ILM peeling in groups A and B was 123.05 seconds ± 42.23 seconds and 142.35 seconds ± 31.49 seconds, respectively ( P = .109). The mean number of surgical attempts to create the ILM flap was 1.05 ± 0.22 and 1.70 ± 1.22 respectively ( P = .008). The mean number of surgical attempts to complete ILM peeling was 22.85 ± 9.95 and 27.20 ± 7.16, respectively ( P = .121). Retinal touch occurred in one and three patients, respectively ( P = .534). CONCLUSIONS: DAVS provides similar surgical performance to AM; however, the creation of ILM flap is difficult with DAVS compared to AM. [ Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina . 2018;49:941–945.]