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RETINAL DETACHMENT SURGERY

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Retinal detachment repair is eye surgery to place a detached retina back into its normal position. A detached retina means the light-sensitive tissue in the back of the eye has separated from its supporting layers.

Retinal detachment generally happens in people with minus power glasses. It can also happen secondary to trauma, complicated surgery, other vascular retinopathies, some genetic disorders, pediatric retinopathies etc. This is a surgical problem requiring scleral buckling or vitrectomy with/without gas or silicon oil injection.

Most retinal detachment repair operations are urgent. A detached retina lacks oxygen, which causes cells in the area to die. This can lead to blindness.

If holes or tears in the retina are found before a detachment occurs, an ophthalmologist can close the holes using a laser. This is usually done in the doctor's office.

Pneumatic Retinopexy

If the retina has just started to detach, a procedure called pneumatic retinopexy may be done to repair it.

Pneumatic retinopexy (gas bubble placement) is usually an office procedure. The eye doctor injects a bubble of gas into the eye. You are then positioned so the gas bubble floats up against the hole in the retina and pushes it back into place.

The doctor will use a laser to permanently seal the hole.

Severe detachments need more advanced surgery. The following procedures are done in a hospital or outpatient surgery center.

The traditional surgery for retinal detachment is scleral buckling surgery. This surgery is generally performed in the operating room under general anesthesia but, in some cases, may be performed under local anesthesia. The surgeon first treats the retinal tear with cryotherapy. A cryoprobe is placed on the outside part of the eye (the sclera) as the surgeon looks into the eye. The surgeon then places the cryoprobe in the correct position and the retinal tear is treated. A piece of silicone plastic or sponge is then sewn onto the outside wall of the eye (sclera) over the site of the retinal tear. This pushes the sclera in toward the retinal tear and holds the retina against the sclera until scarring from the crotherapy seals the tear. This surgery is called scleral buckling becauses the sclera is buckled (pushed) in by the silicone. The silicone buckle is left on the eye permanently.