Vitrectomy (Eye Surgery)

In the surgery, after the inside of the eye is emptied with microscopic instruments and the retina is repaired (tears are closed with a laser), special medical gas (SF6, C3F8, etc.) or Silicone Oil is filled into the cavity to prevent the eye from collapsing and to maintain its shape. The gas is naturally absorbed on its own over time (within a few weeks) and is replaced by the natural eye fluid produced by the body itself.

Patient compliance is the most critical issue after a vitrectomy. If gas or silicone has been placed inside the eye, these substances are intended to press the detached retina upwards (against its own wall) using their property of floating on water (buoyancy). For this reason, depending on the location of the hole, your doctor will order you to lie or sit "Face down (Looking down)" continuously for days. If the position is not adhered to, the surgery fails.

Today, "sutureless vitrectomy" systems are used. Because the 3 holes opened in the eye are only 0.5 millimeters (the thickness of an insulin needle), the holes close on their own when the instruments are withdrawn at the end of the surgery and do not require stitches. Depending on the patient's age and panic level, it can be performed under local (numbing only the eye) or general anesthesia.