Attached posterior hyaloid membrane and the pathogenesis of honeycombed cystoid macular edema in patients with diabetes.

PURPOSE: To investigate the pathogenesis of honeycombed cystoid macular edema in patients with diabetes.

METHODS: The relationship between the posterior hyaloid membrane and honeycombed cystoid macular edema was examined in 24 eyes of 20 patients with diabetes who underwent vitrectomy for cystoid macular edema.

RESULTS: In 19 eyes of 15 patients with diabetes, the posterior hyaloid membrane was attached to the macula, and in five eyes of five patients, the posterior hyaloid membrane was separated from the macula. In 14 (74%) of the 19 eyes with an attached posterior hyaloid membrane, honeycombed cystoid macular edema was detected. Conversely, honeycombed cystoid edema was not detected in any of the five eyes with posterior hyaloid detachment (P = .0059).

CONCLUSIONS: These observations demonstrate a strong correlation between an attached posterior hyaloid membrane and the presence of honeycombed cystoid macular edema. We suggest that retinal traction by the posterior hyaloid membrane is involved in the pathogenesis of honeycombed cystoid changes in diabetic patients.