Phase 1 Study of Optical Coherence Tomography Images to Identify the Prevalence of Vitreomacular Adhesion and Associated Maculopathies

As a function of age, liquefaction of the vitreous body results in separation of the vitreous cavity from the retina. This posterior vitreous separation may be incomplete, leading to areas of residual VMA. These adhesions can result in maculopathies such as vitreomacular traction syndrome, macular hole, epiretinal membrane, cystoid macular edema, diabetic macular edema, neovascularization in diabetic retinopathy and retinal vein occlusion, exudative age-related macular degeneration, and myopic traction maculopathy. VMA may lead to pathological sequelae due to the static and dynamic anteroposterior tractional forces to the surface of the macula. The resultant complication will depend on the size and strength of the traction, with smaller areas of adhesion leading to greater traction. Identifying the prevalence of vitreomacular adhesion and its associated complications will yield valuable, new epidemiologic data, leading to improved diagnosis and management of patients with this condition. The prevalence of vitreomacular adhesion in specific age groups has not been investigated.