AIM: To investigate the clinical effect of 23G transconjunctival sutureless vitrectomy(23G TSV)in the treatment of idiopathic macular hole.

METHODS: Totally 80 cases with macular hole treated in ophthalmology department of our hospital from January 2013 to June 2015 were selected as the research objects, in which 40 cases were treated with 23G TSV after admission, the other 40 cases were treated with 20G vitrectomy. The surgery time, length of hospital stay, changes of visual acuity, macular hole closure, macular thickness and complications were observed in two groups.

RESULTS: The surgery time, length of hospital stay and the complication rate of observation group were less than those of control group with significant difference(P<0.05). The corrected visual acuity was significantly improved in both groups at 3, 6, 12mo after operations compared to before operations, but no significant difference were found between the two groups(P>0.05). Macular hole closure rate of observation group was 98%(39/40), that of control group was 95%(38/40), there was no significant difference between the two groups(χ²=0.346, P=0.553). The macular thickness significantly decreased in both groups at 3, 6, 12mo after operations compared to before operations, but no significant difference were found between the two groups(P>0.05).

CONCLUSION: 23G TSV is effective in the treatment of idiopathic macular hole with low complication rate, which is beneficial to improve the postoperative visual acuity and improve the prognosis.