Clinical comparison of epiretinal membrane surgery using Sharkskin forceps versus conventional forceps.

PURPOSE: To evaluate and compare the outcomes between eyes that underwent pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) for epiretinal membrane (ERM) using the Sharkskin forceps versus conventional forceps.

METHODS

The prospective comparative study involved 38 eyes with ERM between November 2022 and May 2023. Nineteen eyes were treated with PPV and membrane peeling using the Grieshaber Sharkskin forceps, while the other 19 eyes were treated with conventional forceps. The number of grasps for initial membrane mobilization, duration for complete membrane peeling, best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and central macular thickness (CMT) before PPV and within three-month follow up, adverse events were recorded.

RESULTS

All patients successfully underwent ERM removal. The Sharkskin group completed membrane removal in 198.84 s with 8.21 grasps for initial membrane mobilization, compared to 250.95 s and 10.53 grasps in the conventional group (p1 = 0.20, p2 = 0.15). Sharkskin forceps caused significantly fewer retinal dimples (0.58 ± 0.69) compared to conventional forceps (1.26 ± 0.93) (p = 0.02). Postoperative BCVA improved by 21.2% in the Sharkskin group and 29.9% in the conventional group (p1 = 0.018, p2 < 0.001); however, there was no significant difference in BCVA improvement between the two groups (p = 0.24). Similarly, CMT decreased by 17.8% in the Sharkskin group and 14.3% in the conventional group (p1 = 0.006, p2 = 0.015), with no significant difference in CMT reduction between groups (p = 0.49). No other grasp-related complications or ERM recurrences were observed during the follow-up period.

CONCLUSION

The use of Sharkskin forceps in ERM surgery demonstrated comparable clinical outcomes to conventional forceps, while causing less retinal damage. These findings suggest that Sharkskin forceps can be safely and effectively utilized in vitreoretinal interface surgery.