Index
It is a surgery to remove the vitreous gel from the eye’s middle. It can be done when there is a retinal detachment or if the blood in the vitreous gel does not remove itself.
The removal of the vitreous gel gives your ophthalmologist better access to the back of the eye. Vitrectomy is performed by an oculist (ophthalmologist) who has special training in treating retinal problems.
During surgery, the doctor uses small tools to remove the vitreous gel. Then, the doctor can treat other eye problems, such as retinal detachment, vitreous hemorrhage, scar tissue on the retina, or tears or holes in the macula.
At the end of the surgery, the doctor can inject a bubble of oil or gas into the eye. This lightly presses the retina against the wall of the eye. If an oil bubble is used, the doctor should remove the oil after the look has healed.
After surgery
The surgery lasts from 2 to 3 hours. Your ophthalmologist will decide if only your eye will be numb or if you will also sleep during surgery (local or general anesthesia).
You may have to spend the night in the hospital. But sometimes, vitrectomy is performed as outpatient surgery.
You may have to keep your head in a particular position for a while at home. This helps to push the gas or oil bubble against detachment. Your doctor will tell you what place to sleep.
Call your doctor immediately if you notice any problems after surgery, such as:
- Decreased vision
- Signs of infection. These include increased pain, redness, or swelling around the eye.
- Any discharge from the eye.
- Any new float, flashes of light, or other changes in your field of vision.
Why is it done?
Vitrectomy can be done together with other treatments so that:
- Repair or prevent retinal detachment by traction.
- Repair large tears in the retina.
- Reduces the vision loss caused by bleeding in the vitreous gel (vitreous hemorrhage ). Surgery may be necessary if the bleeding is severe or if the blood does not clear up on its own.
- Treat severe proliferative retinopathy. This causes scar tissue to form or new blood vessels to grow in the retina. These new blood vessels can leak blood to the eye.
Your ophthalmologist may suggest this type of surgery for a retinal detachment because an oil bubble can be used. An oil bubble does not move in the eye as much as a gas bubble.
This can facilitate surgery and recovery for people who have trouble keeping their heads in the correct position.
How well does vitrectomy work?
Vitrectomy can significantly improve vision in many people who have severe bleeding in the eye that has not cleared up by itself.
This surgery can restore some vision in people who have retinal detachment traction. It can also help prevent the detachment from getting worse. The results may be better if the party has not affected the macula or its central vision.
Risks
Possible serious problems after this surgery include:
- Waterfalls.
- High pressure inside the eye. This occurs most often in people who have glaucoma.
- More bleeding in the vitreous gel.
- Retinal detachment.
- Infection inside the eye
What to think
One of the primary uses of vitrectomy is to treat vitreous hemorrhage. This surgery can have serious risks. Some doctors can wait up to a year before undergoing surgery. This delay allows them to see if the vitreous gel will clear up by itself before proceeding surgically.
Surgery can only be done earlier, as long as the vitreous hemorrhage is causing severe loss of vision or if it is preventing the treatment of severe retinopathy. Long-term results may be better if surgery is done soon.
