Epiretinal membrane release and posterior vitreous detachment.

The spontaneous release of epiretinal membranes is a rare clinical phenomenon, the mechanism of which is poorly understood. The authors present three patients with epiretinal macular membranes associated with peripheral retinal lesions, in whom spontaneous release of the membrane occurred in conjunction with detachment of the posterior vitreous. In each patient, the membrane remained attached to the posterior vitreous face, and in each eye there was a decrease in retinal striae and an improvement in vision. The authors postulate that posterior vitreous separation was the mechanism by which these membranes detached from the macula.