Multicolor Scanning Laser Ophthalmoscopy Strengthens Surgeons’ Preoperative Decision-Making and Intraoperative Performance on Epiretinal Membrane

PURPOSE: To determine whether multicolor scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (MC-SLO) was better than color fundus photography (CFP) to enhance residents and specialists’ preoperative decision-making and intraoperative performance on the epiretinal membrane (ERM). METHODS: Consecutive patients with idiopathic ERM were recruited prospectively. All the patients underwent MC-SLO and CFP imagings and were randomized into MC-SLO (n = 20) and CFP (n = 20) groups. Preoperatively, residents and specialists were required to have ERM delineation and select an optimal location for initial ERM peeling independently, based on the MC-SLO (MC-SLO group) or CFP (CFP group) images. Intraoperative optical coherence tomography (iOCT) was introduced to evaluate the accuracy. RESULTS: Preoperatively, residents and specialists acted more effectively in ERM delineation and selection of initial grasping location in the MC-SLO group (both P < 0.001). In the MC-SLO group, higher resident–specialist agreements were achieved in ERM delineation (P = 0.002) and selection of initial grasping location (P = 0.035). The iOCT revealed greater interobserver (iOCT–resident and iOCT–specialist) agreements of ERM delineation in MC-SLO group (P < 0.001 and = 0.027, respectively). Surgeons acted more effectively on completely peeling the ERM in the MC-SLO group (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: MC-SLO provided a better visual reference for residents and specialists in ERM delineation and the selection of an initial grasping location for the surgery, compared with CFP. TRANSLATIONAL RELEVANCE: MC-SLO is able to help surgeons achieve better intraoperative performance and shorten the learning process for residents.