Internal limiting membrane peeling is now widely used in the treatment of vitreoretinal diseases, such as idiopathic macular hole, epiretinal membrane, macular edema, traumatic retinopathy, retinoschisis, and optic pit, especially macular diseases. Due to the attention paid to the physiological function of the internal limiting membrane, there is still controversies about whether the internal limiting membrane is removed, and the area and the way of the removal in vitrectomy of the above diseases. Major complications have been reported in literature: effects on internal retinal structure, retinal and choroidal blood flow, retinal electrical activity, potential retinal toxicity of stain, changes in the anatomy of macular area, changes in visual field and potential damage to vision. In this paper, we reviewes the complications of internal limiting membrane peeling in the treatment of macular hole and epiretinal macular membrane.
