As a major innovation in macular surgery over the past 30 years,internal limiting membrane peeling has now become standard operation after all-round improvements. However, how to achieve optimal response and avoid poor prognosis by peeling the internal limiting membrane, which is the basement membrane of the Müller cells representing the structural interface between retina and vitreous, still needs to be explored. Prof. Peter Wiedemann, the co-editor-in-chief of our journal, in view of his long-term outstanding contributions to retinal surgery and the important progress his team has made in foveal regeneration, wrote this review with a special invitation. He gladly completed this article in 2wk, which is comprehensive, outlined, insightful, concise and shining with wisdom. It summarizes the history, rationale, techniques, indications, size and adverse outcomes of internal limiting membrane peeling and the surgery for refractory macular hole. It not only affirms current cognition, but raises existing problems, which are worthy reading and reflecting, so it was translated for readers' convenience.