FOR MORE INFORMATION ON MACULAR PUCKER or TO SEE A RETINA SPECIALIST AT WILLS EYE HOSPITAL, A macular pucker is a wrinkling of your retina due to scar tissue. Epiretinal membrane or macular pucker is a disease of the eye in response to changes in the vitreous humor or more rarely, diabetes.Sometimes, as a result of immune system response to protect the retina, cells converge in the macular area as the vitreous ages and pulls away in posterior vitreous detachment (PVD).. PVD can create minor damage to the retina, stimulating exudate, inflammation . Please note that both of the procedures described below need additional clinical testing. A new prescription and new eyeglasses. The vitreous humor contains millions of fibers that are connected to the retinal surface. They cost $3,000 to $4,000, however, and a doctor's prescription is required. Many macular puckers are caused by aging. When this happens, the retina begins a healing process to the damaged area and forms scar tissue, or an epiretinal membrane, on the surface of the retina. Getting older is the major risk factor for the development of a macular pucker, as the process that forms a macular pucker is usually age-related. If you aren't diagnosed with a macular pucker but have changes to your vision without a specific cause, you should also let an optometrist know. All About Vision and AllAboutVision.com are registered trademarks of AAV Media, LLC. All LASIK savings offers are valid only on bladeless custom LASIK based off the LASIK procedure book price. Read our, Visual Distortion Guide: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment, How to Talk About Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD), What to Expect From Eye Injections for AMD, Specialty Glasses for Macular Degeneration, Seeing Sparkles of Light: Photopsia Causes and Treatments, Epiretinal Membrane Condition and Your Retina, Macular Degeneration: Timeline of Vision Loss Progression. This usually takes 30 minutes, and it can be done in a doctors office. In some people, a membrane forms on the surface of the retina. For most people, the symptoms are mild. Macular pucker usually occurs following separation of the vitreous from the surface of the retina (posterior vitreous detachment).Macular pucker can also occur following retinal tear or detachment, trauma, various eye inflammatory diseases, or as an isolated finding (idiopathic).It is not usually associated with medical conditions outside the eye. Vitamins & Minerals Supplement for Macular Degeneration! Facts About Age-Related Macular Degeneration. If a macular pucker makes it hard to do everyday activities, like reading or driving, talk to your eye doctor. The sense of vision requires physical energy from the environment to be translated in your brain to visual images. Getting older is the major risk factor for the development of a macular pucker, as the process that forms a macular pucker is usually age-related. This scar tissue can cause similar symptoms as a macular hole, though they are two different . Recovery of vision can take up to three months. Epiretinal membranes. Human eyeballs mainly consist of a material called vitreous, a gel-like substance that fills the eyeball from the lens to the retina. However, if the pucker has caused significant visual distortion or blur, surgery may help. This surgical technique is called Fluidic Internal Limiting Membrane Separation (FILMS). They may have difficulty in seeing fine detail and reading small print. A vitrectomy improves vision in 80% to 90% of people and is done in conjunction with an epiretinal membrane peel.