Japan-epiretinal membrane (J-ERM) registry: A prospective cohort study protocol investigating the surgical outcome of epiretinal membrane

TL;DR

This study aims to investigate surgical outcomes for epiretinal membrane by collecting data from 5,000 patients in Japan.

Contribution

The study introduces a large-scale, prospective cohort protocol to evaluate ERM surgery outcomes and factors affecting prognosis.

Findings

The study will collect data on OCT findings and their relationship to visual function.

It will assess the impact of surgical techniques and instruments on patient prognosis.

The optimal timing for surgery and factors affecting visual impairment will be analyzed.

Abstract

Epiretinal membrane (ERM) causes visual impairment such as reduction in visual acuity and metamorphopsia due to retinal traction. With the improvement of optical coherence tomography (OCT) and microincision vitrectomy surgery (MIVS), the surgery of ERM has significantly advanced. However, there have been no large-scale studies on the following: (1) how to evaluate visual impairment in ERM, (2) the relationship between OCT findings and visual function, (3) when is the optimal timing of surgery, and (4) the relationship between the surgical instruments as well as techniques and prognosis. The purpose of this study was to obtain evidence regarding these ERM surgeries.

This is a prospective, multicenter cohort study of ERM surgery in Japan from March 1, 2023, to March 31, 2027 (UMIN000048472, R-3468-2). Patients who underwent ERM surgery during the study period and agreed to participate in this study will be included. The goal is to have a total of 5,000 eyes surgically treated for ERM. The following data will be collected: age, gender, medical history, subjective symptoms, visual function before and 6 and 12 months after surgery, clinical findings, OCT data, surgical technique, instruments used in surgery, and complications.

The results of this study will support the surgical decisions and procedures in ERM practices.

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