Macular Hole Symptoms

While sufficient treatment is available for a condition known as macular hole, its sudden occurrence can be rather frightening, since its symptoms seem to arrive out of nowhere. Macular holes typically occur in only one eye and rarely occur in both eyes simultaneously.

Significance

• The macula is the central part of the retina that is responsible for sharp, clear, color vision. Functioning much like a camera lens, the macula directly affects vision ability if any obstruction occurs in its membrane, and an untreated macular hole can cause vision loss.

Light Sensitivity

• The eyes feel strained when focusing in or on light. This is a common symptom for many eye conditions and is also the first sign of a macular hole.

Distorted Vision

• Distorted vision may seem to occur suddenly and without warning. The macular hole may cause a person to feel that he or she is trying to look through a thick fog or glass. Straight lines may become wavy.

Decreased Acuity

• Whether objects are near or distant, they appear blurry and out of focus. The details of an object are untraceable, and reading may become extremely difficult.

Dark Spots

• A dark spot may appear in the middle of the visual field. The dark spot will obstruct the view of anything in the eye's visual path.

Treatment

• The macular hole rarely resolves on its own, and most cases are treated with a vitrectomy procedure. This involves removing vitreous gel from the eye and replacing it with a mixture of gas and air, which puts pressure on the hole to promote healing.