Procedures
Retinal Surgery
Saving Eye-Sight & Preserving Vision
Many conditions can affect the retina (the layer at the back of the eye responsible for converting light into images) such as age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, retinal vein occlusion, retinal detachment, macular hole, epiretinal membrane, and some inherited diseases as retinitis pigmentosa.
Depending on the type of retinal disease, treatment can stop the disease or slow down how quickly it gets worse. Therapy options include:
Vitrectomy:
Vitrectomy is a surgical procedure to treat the following types of retinal disease:
- Retinal detachments.
- Macular pucker (epiretinal membrane).
- Macular hole.
- Eye injuries, including foreign objects in your eye.
- Eye infections.
Vitrectomy overview
What you Need to Know about Vitrectomy
- A vitrectomy is an eye surgery that removes the vitreous fluid ( a gel-like substance that fills the center of your eyeball) and replace it with sterile salt water , silicone oil or a gas bubble until your body begins producing vitreous again . It can be done to remove cloudy fluid or fluid with debris or to do repairs on your retina or macula
You may need a vitrectomy if you have an eye condition that:
1- Causes your vitreous to become cloudy. This is often due to vitreous hemorrhage or bleeding in your eye.
2- Causes pulling on or damage to your retina.
3- Isn’t easy to diagnose.
4- Needs a drug delivery or therapeutic device.
- Consultation: A thorough consultation with our expert retina surgeon will be conducted. We will discuss your goals, medical history, and perform a detailed eye examination like fundus examination and ultrasound for the vitreous and retina.
- Preparation: Before the surgery, you might need to stop some medications , stop eating and drinking for some time before surgery . According to the type of surgery agreed with your surgeon you will be provided with detailed instructions plus a pre and post operative care plan .
- Anesthesia: Drops are used to numb the eye for the procedure. Local anesthesia and general sedation may be used for some cases.
- The Procedure: Our surgeons use advanced techniques to achieve the desired results. During vitrectomy, your surgeon uses small tools to cut the vitreous and suction it out. Then your eye care provider does any other needed repairs, such as fixing a hole in your retina. They may place sterile saline, a gas bubble, or a clear liquid called silicone oil into your eye. Gas and silicone oil helps the retina stay in its correct position. The time that you’re in surgery depends on what repairs your eye needs. Simpler surgeries could last an hour, while procedures that are more complicated take longer.
- Recovery: Your eye may feel puffy or slightly irritated. You may have some redness and bruising. It’s important to use your medicated eye drops as prescribed. You might have imperfect vision for a few days, but it will keep getting better over time.
- Rest and Recuperation: The doctor may ask you to stay at home and rest for couple of weeks .It is important to follow the surgeon’s instructions to ensure a safe recovery.
- Post-Operative Care: Our team will provide detailed instructions on how to hold your head when you’re awake and how to sleep correctly. If you have a gas bubble your surgeon will specify when it will be safe to fly.
- Results Expectations: Although vitrectomy improves or stabilizes vision in most cases, vision may not be fully normal after the surgery. This is especially true if your condition caused permanent damage to your retina.
Lasers treat:
- Blood vessels that have grown where they shouldn’t be
- Retinal tears.
- Central serous retinopathy.
- Macular edema
Injecting medicine into the vitreous treat the following retinal conditions:
- Wet age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD).
- Advanced diabetic retinopathy.
- Macular edema from various causes.
- Eye infections.
- Inflammatory eye diseases.
Treatments for retinal detachment include:
- Scleral buckle surgery: A surgeon sews a piece of silicone on the outside of your eye to indent your sclera.
- Cryopexy: Intense cold (cryotherapy) creates scarring that closes a tear or detachment.
- Pneumatic retinopexy: A surgeon injects a gas bubble into your eye to keep your retina in place. Your provider must use cryotherapy or a laser in combination with this procedure.
Vitrectomy FAQs
The type of vitrectomy you will undergo depends on which part of your eye is affected.
- Anterior vitrectomy: You may need an anterior vitrectomy if you have a vitreous leak in the front part of your eye. The anterior chamber (the front part of the eye) contains the iris and lens. The incisions are smaller, recovery is usually faster, and you may be able to undergo treatment at an earlier stage of the disease.
- Posterior pars plana vitrectomy: A posterior pars plana vitrectomy treats conditions that affect the back (posterior) part of the eye. The posterior pars plana is the flat part of the ciliary body of the eye. The posterior segment contains the retina, retinal pigment epithelium, choroid and sclera. It also contains the vitreous cavity that holds the vitreous. Depending on your condition and goals, our experienced surgeons will be able to provide you with a customized treatment plan.
Pain is rare after vitrectomy. Some patients feel a rough or sandy sensation, as if there is something inside the eye. This sensation will go away a few days after surgery with the use of postoperative eye drops.
- Injury to the eye: Damage to the eye, including scratches or punctures.
- Endophthalmitis: An infection inside the eye.
- Tumors: A vitrectomy can be a way to biopsy a tumor in your eye.
- Lens Problems: The surgeon sometimes uses vitrectomy to treat cataracts and dislocated lenses.
- Drug delivery: The surgeon can use a vitrectomy to place drug delivery devices. These medications may be steroids, gene therapy, and antiviral drugs.
You may return to work in about 1 to 2 weeks. If your work involves physical activity or driving, you will need to restrict your activities and remain home longer. You may watch TV, look at magazines, or work puzzles. Reading may be uncomfortable for several days, but using the eyes will not cause any damage.
If oil or a gas bubble was placed in the eye during surgery, you will be asked to spend most of your time (both awake and during the night) with your head in a specific position, frequently face down. As the eye heals and the bubble dissipates, there will be less of a need for you to stay in that specific position. You should avoid sleeping on your back until the bubble has totally dissolved or the oil is removed surgically. At Blissed our post-operative care team will be able to answer all your questions for at home care instructions.
