Double vital staining using trypan blue and infracyanine green in macular pucker surgery.

AIMS To study the clinical properties of double vital staining in premacular fibrosis, facilitating complete removal of all epiretinal tissue. METHODS In a two step surgery, the epiretinal pucker was removed after staining with trypan blue, whereafter the inner limiting membrane was peeled after staining with infracyanine green. RESULTS In all 30 patients, a separate epiretinal layer and inner limiting membrane were removed from the macular area. Pathological examination showed different histological properties of the removed layers. An increased visual acuity was measured in 26 patients, and a slightly decreased visual acuity in one patient. CONCLUSION The described double staining technique could be a novel valuable tool that may help to achieve optimal anatomical and functional recovery after surgery for premacular fibrosis