Macular Pucker

• Copyright 1994, American Academy of Ophthalmology. Reprinted by permission.
• Year 1994

What is the macula?

The macula is the special area at the center of the retina which is responsible for clear, detailed vision. The retina is the light sensing layer of tissue that lines the back of the eye. If your macula is damaged, your sight will be blurred.

What is macular pucker?

The macula normally lies flat against the back of the eye, like film lining the back of a camera. If macular pucker is present, the macula becomes wrinkled.

This condition is also known as cellophane maculopathy, or premacular fibrosis.

What are the symptoms of macular pucker?

Vision becomes blurred and distorted, just as one would expect a picture to appear from a camera with wrinkled film. Straight lines, like doorways or telephone poles, often appear wavy.

Vision loss can vary from barely noticeable to severe. One or both eyes may be involved. For most people, vision remains stable and does not get progressively worse.

What causes macular pucker?

A thin, transparent membrane grows over the macula. When the membrane stops growing, it contracts and shrinks, wrinkling the macula. Eye conditions that may be associated with macular pucker include:

· vitreous detachment (aging of gel inside eye);
· torn or detached retina;
· inflammation inside eye;
· severe injury to eye;
· retinal blood vessel disorders.

Macular pucker is not usually related to any medical problem outside the eye.