Treatments

Surgical procedures
Vitrectomy is the removal of the vitreous gel that fills the eye in order to allow for a variety of repairs, including the removal of scar tissue, laser repair of retinal detachments and treatment of macular holes. Once surgery is complete, saline, a gas bubble, or silicone oil may be injected into the vitreous gel to help hold the retina in position. Unless the patient is in poor health or has severe disease, nearly all vitrectomies are outpatient procedures involving little or no pain and require only minimal anesthesia.

A scleral buckle is used to fix retinal detachments, and may be used in combination with vitrectomy. In this procedure, a band of soft silicone is positioned on the outside of the eye (the sclera) and tightened so that it pushes the wall of the eye against the area with the retinal detachment. This closes the tear and allows the retina to reattach.

Pneumatic retinopexy is an office procedure used to repair some retinal detachments. After applying anesthesia, a small bubble of gas is injected into the eye to press against the torn area of the retina. The patient will need to maintain the correct head position for a few days, which may feel awkward, but will keep the damaged area upper-most so that the bubble rises to meet it. Once the retina has reattached, laser or cryopexy may be performed to tightly seal the retina.

Our Approach

Our practice incorporates evidence-based therapies and the latest proven technologies for a patient-centered approach in the treatment of retina diseases. The full scope of medicinal, office-based, and surgical interventions are available to our patients.