What is the procedure for a vitrectomy?

Your eye doctor will expose your eye, making an incision in the outer layer of your eye. Your eye doctor will make a small cut in the sclera, the white part of your eye. Your eye doctor will remove the vitreous and any scar tissue or foreign material. Your eye doctor will do other repairs to your eye as needed.

How many types of vitrectomy are there?

There are 2 types of vitrectomy, based on the approach used to remove the vitreous gel; namely anterior and posterior vitrectomy. The most common approach is the posterior or pars plana vitrectomy performed as mentioned previously in order to enable certain procedures to be done at the back of the eye.

Is a vitrectomy safe?

Risks associated with vitrectomy include, but are not limited to, cataract formation, retinal tear and detachment, macular pucker, and macular edema (swelling). There is a small risk of vision loss. A laser is now available that can be used to try to break up large floaters into particles small enough to be ignored.

Can floaters come back after vitrectomy?

An ophthalmologist removes the vitreous through a small incision (vitrectomy) and replaces it with a solution to help your eye maintain its shape. Surgery may not remove all the floaters, and new floaters can develop after surgery.

Who is a candidate for a vitrectomy?

“A good candidate is someone who has had symptomatic vitreous floaters for at least four months,” he says, “and who has definite evidence of a posterior vitreous detachment on exam. The floaters or vitreous opacities should be correlated with the patient’s symptoms on a thorough fundus examination.

Is vitrectomy done under general anesthesia?

Vitrectomy surgery is one of the commonest ophthalmic procedures performed across the world. It may be performed using general or local anaesthesia encompassing regional or topical anaesthesia depending on a number of factors, including patient suitability, and patient, surgeon or anaesthetist preference.

What gas is used in a vitrectomy?

Four different intraocular gases are commonly used in vitreoretinal surgery: air, sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), perfluoroethane (C2F6) and perfluoropropane (C3F8). In the vitreous cavity, these gases are colorless, odorless and inert.

Can you have a second vitrectomy?

Conclusions: If repeat vitrectomy with membrane peeling is performed too early, there may not be adequate time for Müller cells to re-form a layer of endplates over the denuded retinal nerve fiber layer, exposing it to damage during the second operation with resultant poor vision.

Can you see the gas bubble in your eye?

When you look through a gas bubble, vision is very poor – you can often only see movement. The edge of the gas bubble is seen as a black line at the top of vision. As the bubble absorbs this line descends through the field of vision. Depending on the gas, it can take between 2-6 weeks for the gas bubble to dissolve.

How long does a gas bubble stay in your eye?

The most commonly used gases are known as “SF6” and “C3F8”. SF6 gas stays in the eye for about one month; C3F8 gas remains for about two months. SF6 gas is used most often, while C3F8 gas is reserved for more complex retinal detachments and some macular holes.

How do I know when the gas bubble in my eye is gone?

The timing depends on the type of gas used: short-acting gas (SF6) takes 2 to 3 weeks to disappear; long-acting gas (C3F8) takes about 2 months. When the gas bubble is down to half size, you will see a horizontal line across your vision, bobbing up and down with head movement.