Vitrectomy Risks

Vitrectomy is a surgical procedure where the vitreous gel of the eye is removed to bring about improvement in the vision. In normal condition, vitreous gel is a colorless, thick viscous matter and it occupies interior part of the eyeball. One of the major role of this gel is to maintain the spherical shape of the eyeball. Besides, it also holds the retina or light sensing tissue of the eye in its designated position at the back of the eye. Due to some diseases, the clear gel turns cloudy and the visible light fails to reach the retina of the eye. To correct such visual defects, surgery is conducted.

Benefits

Diabetic patients are susceptible to diabetic retinopathy where the visual light get blurred or blocked due to presence of blood or scarred tissue inside the vitreous gel. Similar kind of debris may get accumulated into the gel because of some eye infection or injury to the eyes. In such cases, the vitreous gel is removed through surgical incisions and is replaced with special kind of silicone oil or gas. The procedure is also applied to correct various eye problems associated with retina such as retinal detachment or wrinkling of the retina or tears in retina. In such cases, vitreous gel need to be removed surgically so that the retina that lies at the back of the eye can be accessible. After the hole in retina is repaired or its normal position is restored, special fluid is injected to replace the vitreous gel.

Risks

There are a number of risks associated with vitrectomy surgery. A few of them have been listed below:

• The risk of infection cannot be ruled out in any kind of surgery and vitrectomy is no exception. Infection may occur in retina where the surgery is performed. It may also affect any other parts in and around the eye. Eye surgeons always try their level best to avoid this kind of post surgery infections. Usually, these infections are treated with the help of antibiotics.
• Retinal detachment is one of the most commonly found risks of vitrectomy which in turn affects the vision of the eye. It is repaired with the help of insertion of fluids into the vitreous cavity. Sometimes, the detached retina heals up with the passage of time which often varies from six to eight weeks. In others, it may have to be corrected with laser surgery.
• Increase in pressure inside the eye. The chances of this kind of intraocular pressure (or IOP) is particularly common in those patients who already have glaucoma problem. In most cases, it is just a temporary condition and is controlled with suitable glaucoma medicines.
• Post vitrectomy surgery may give rise to corneal edema. In this condition, fluid build up takes place within the clear covering of the eye. As a result, the pressure on the eye is increased and the patient may get blurred vision. In some cases, it may cause damage to the surrounding tissues.
• There is a possibility of bleeding inside the eye. This happens particularly in those cases where the vitreous gel is removed due to bleeding into it. In many such cases, bleeding tend to recur within the vitreous cavity or frontal part of the eye and causes severe damage to the eye.
• When vitrectomy is conducted on elderly above the age of 50 years or so, then the chances of cataract formation increases manifolds.

If your ophthalmologist has recommended this surgery for you, do not panic after reading these vitrectomy risks. When doctors are availing this option, one thing is for sure that they found that it is important for saving the vision of their patient. Moreover, the success of the vitrectomy largely depends on the eye problem of the patient. Therefore, they would assess the condition of your eye thoroughly and discuss with you in detail about what you can expect from the surgery and then only proceed with it.