Which statement correctly differentiates pseudo macular hole from degenerative lamellar macular hole?

Which statement correctly differentiates pseudo macular hole from degenerative lamellar macular hole?

• A. Pseudo macular hole is not full thickness with no lifting; degenerative lamellar hole is not full thickness with lateral progression.
• B. Pseudo macular hole is full thickness with lifting; degenerative lamellar hole is full thickness.
• C. Pseudo macular hole and degenerative lamellar hole are both full thickness.
• D. Pseudo macular hole is not full thickness with lifting between retinal layers.

Answer: (A)

The key idea is that neither lesion creates a full-thickness defect, but they differ in how the retinal architecture changes. A pseudo macular hole appears because a contractile epiretinal membrane distorts the fovea, giving a hole-like look without actual loss of neurosensory tissue; there is no true interlayer splitting or vertical separation, so there’s no lifting between layers. A degenerative lamellar macular hole, on the other hand, is a partial-thickness defect from degenerative remodeling of the fovea. It involves a true but incomplete loss of some retinal layers and tends to progress laterally (lateral expansion) rather than forming a full-thickness hole.

The key idea is that neither lesion creates a full-thickness defect, but they differ in how the retinal architecture changes. A pseudo macular hole appears because a contractile epiretinal membrane distorts the fovea, giving a hole-like look without actual loss of neurosensory tissue; there is no true interlayer splitting or vertical separation, so there’s no lifting between layers. A degenerative lamellar macular hole, on the other hand, is a partial-thickness defect from degenerative remodeling of the fovea. It involves a true but incomplete loss of some retinal layers and tends to progress laterally (lateral expansion) rather than forming a full-thickness hole.