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Retina Surgery

If ignored and left untreated, detached retina can cause full loss of vision.

Surgery may be the most effective option for treating a detached retina. This is a serious condition that requires immediate attention in order to prevent or limit any future vision loss.

The type of surgery your surgeon recommends will be dependent on a number of factors, including the type, size and location of the detached retina. Surgery options may include:

  • Scleral Buckling: A sclera buckle is a tiny synthetic band that is attached to the outside of the eye to gently push the wall of the eye against the detached retina.
  • Vitrectomy and/or Pneumopexy: These two procedures are often done together in order to reattach the retina. During the vitrectomy, the surgeon makes a small incision in the white of the patient’s eye known as the sclera. Then the vitreous, a gel-like substance that fills the center of the eye that helps the eye maintain its shape, is removed from the eye. After this is done, the surgeon injects gas into the eye to replace the vitreous gel and reattach the retina through a procedure called pneumopexy. During this part of the procedure the gas pushes the retina back against the wall of the eye. As the eye heals, it will make fluid that gradually replaces the gas and fills the eye.