An epiretinal membrane cannot and does not cause blindness although the epiretinal membrane can impair your central vision.
An epiretinal membrane or ERM is a piece of scar tissue on your retina which can distort your vision and it affects your central vision, which is used for seeing fine details and for looking straight ahead.
With epiretinal membrane or ERM your peripheral vision is not affected and you won't go blind from it.
Most people with epiretinal membrane or ERM don't have any symptoms or have only mild symptoms which don't affect their daily life.
And in moderate to severe cases of ERM or epiretinal membrane it may cause distorted or blurred vision which makes it hard to drive or read.
And surgery is an option to treat epiretinal membrane although it's usually only successful in improving your vision but not restoring your vision to normal.
Eye drops, medications and nutritional supplements are not likely to help with epiretinal membrane and surgery is the most common treatment option.
Epiretinal membrane can be caused by posterior vitreous detachment, previous eye surgery or other eye conditions.
In advanced cases the epiretinal membrane can lead to severely decreased vision and less commonly epiretinal membrane can also be associated with double vision and light sensitivity.
Epiretinal membrane can also develop as a result of age related changes in your vitreous gel, which is the clear substance that fills the inside of your eye.
And as you age the vitreous gel can shrink and pull away from your retina and cause a tear or a detachment.
As a result it can lead to the formation of epiretinal membrane or ERM.
Retinal surgery, diabetic retinopathy and eye inflammation can also cause epiretinal membrane.
Symptoms although not always experienced include blurred or distorted vision, straight lines that appear wavy or crooked, reduced sharpness of detail and difficulty reading or seeing fine print.