Epiretinal membrane

The macula is the small central area of the retina that gives you your sharp, straight-ahead vision — for reading, faces and fine detail. An epiretinal membrane is a fine layer of cells that grows across its surface, a bit like a wrinkle in cling film.

As that layer contracts it can gently pucker the retina beneath it. Some membranes stay thin and cause no trouble at all; others tug on the macula enough to blur or distort the central vision. It usually affects one eye, and it's more common as we get older.

Most are simply age-related, linked to the normal changes of the vitreous gel that fills the eye — often no specific cause is found.

They can also follow another eye problem, such as a retinal tear or detachment, inflammation inside the eye, diabetic eye disease, or previous eye surgery.

The first step is a careful assessment. Dr Leong uses OCT (a detailed, painless scan of the retina) to measure the membrane and see exactly how much it's affecting the macula — this also tells us whether it's changing over time.

Many membranes are mild and simply monitored, with no treatment needed. Where one is distorting vision enough to bother you, it can be removed with a procedure called a vitrectomy, in which the membrane is gently peeled off the macula. Dr Leong will explain whether that's worth considering for you and, if surgery is the right step, coordinate your care with a vitreoretinal surgeon.