19. Incidence and Clinical Characteristics of Epiretinal
Membranes in Children
Colin A. McCannel, H. A. Khaja, B. G. Mohney, N. N. Diehl (Rochester)
Objective: To describe the incidence and clinical characteristics of epiretinal membranes in
children.
Design: Retrospective, case series.
Participants: All pediatric (< 19 years of age) patients diagnosed with an epiretinal membrane
from January 1, 1976, through December 31, 2005, at Olmsted Medical Group and Mayo Clinic.
Methods: The medical records of all potential patients were reviewed for residency status and
clinical findings.
Main Outcome Measures: Incidence and clinical findings of childhood epiretinal membranes.
Results: Five of the 44 total patients were diagnosed as residents of Olmsted County,
Minnesota during the 30-year period, yielding an annual age- and gender-adjusted incidence of 0.54 per 100,000 patients,
or 1 in 20,896 < 19 years of age. The mean age at diagnosis of the 44 study patients was 12.4 years (range, 4 months to
18 years) with a preponderance of boys (70.5 %). The presenting visual acuity in the affected eye was < 20/60 in 22 (50 %),
while ten (22.2 %) displayed strabismus. The most common causes were trauma (38.6 %), idiopathic (27.3 %), and uveitis
(20.5 %). Eight (17.8 %) of the 44 underwent pars plana vitrectomy with membrane peel, with at least 5 of the 8 experiencing
an improvement in their postoperative visual acuity.