Retina Surgery

Retinal surgery is used to repair or fix a detached retina. It’s a simple outpatient procedure that typically doesn’t require overnight hospitalization.

Your doctor chooses the type of procedure based on your retina’s condition. During surgery, your surgeon removes the vitreous gel and treats the retina with laser therapy or cryotherapy.

Laser Therapy

Laser therapy is an effective treatment for a wide variety of retinal problems. It can help with repairing small retinal tears, sealing blood vessels that bleed, and reducing the chance of retinal detachments.

A laser can also be used to treat floaters and other vision issues in the vitreous (the gel-like substance that fills the eye). This procedure is called vitreolysis, and it disrupts floaters, which may make them less visible.

The procedure starts with drops to numb your eye and dilate your pupil, then a special contact lens is placed on the front of your eye to precisely focus the laser for treatment. Your doctor will then use the laser to create tiny burns in targeted areas, creating scar tissue that can seal off a retinal tear, halt leaking blood vessels or slow the growth of abnormal blood vessels.

The procedure is very safe, but it can cause some minor pain or discomfort. Your doctor will tell you what to expect and how to care for your eyes after the procedure.

Cryopexy

Cryopexy is an in-office treatment that can be combined with laser surgery for retinal tears or small detachments. It uses extreme cold (freezing) to create a scar in the eye that seals abnormal retinal tears and stops the growth of abnormal blood vessels called neovascularization.

The procedure can also be used to treat a number of other retinal conditions, including tumors, vascular lesions, and different retinopathies. It is often used in combination with pneumatic retinopexy for certain types of retinal detachments, which involves injecting a gas bubble into the eye to push the retina back into place and then seal it.

During the first week after cryopexy for a retinal tear, it is important to avoid jarring activities because the cryotherapy has not yet formed a strong adhesion. This can cause a blurring or distortion of the vision.

Pneumatic retinopexy is a relatively simple procedure that can be used to repair a retinal detachment in many patients. It typically only requires a few hours and does not require an overnight stay in the hospital. However, it is important to follow your doctor’s instructions on how to position your head after the procedure so that you get the best chance of reattachment.

Scleral Buckling

Scleral buckling is a type of retina surgery that is often used to repair rhegmatogenous retinal detachments. This procedure uses a piece of silicone to attach to the eye wall at the site of the detachment.

The sclera pushes in on the retina when the band is placed, creating a "buckling effect" that relieves the traction on the retina and helps it to settle into place against the back of the eye. This can restore vision after a detachment.

While scleral buckling is effective in most cases, it does not treat all types of tears to the retina. If the tear is complex, you may need another surgery called a vitrectomy to treat it. Check it out here

A rare condition called choroidal detachment develops in up to 5% of scleral buckling cases. Fortunately, this condition is usually not serious and resolves spontaneously within several weeks of the procedure. Occasionally, infection of the sclera or surrounding tissues can occur.

Vitrectomy

The vitreous, the gel that fills the eyeball, is removed during retina surgery to allow for better access to the retina. This can be done for a variety of reasons including the repair of retinal detachments or treatment of macular holes.

The procedure is carried out with a light probe, cutter, and infusion tube inserted into the eye through tiny incisions in the white of the eye (sclera). The cutter cuts scar tissue or opaque areas of the vitreous, while the infusion tube replaces them with either a saltwater solution, a gas bubble, or silicone oil to hold the retina in place. Browse around this site

After the procedure, a gas bubble or silicone oil needs to be kept in position for about 90% of the time until a seal forms around the retina to help it heal. Patients must stay on their heads and faces during this period, and they cannot lie on their backs as the bubble will move out of place or press against the lens and cause more problems.