do you get put to sleep for retina detachment surgery

In some patients, particularly those with long-standing retinal detachments, the vision fails to improve. Those with macula off retinal detachments may initially have reduced and distorted vision despite surgery, but the vision will often slowly improve over weeks to months. So, although we can help most people, we cannot help everyone. Ultimately, we are able to reattach about 99% with further procedures. That means for about 1 in 10 patients the retina will re-detach, and unfortunately they just keep getting harder and harder to fix. Retinal detachment surgery is successful in reattaching the retina in over 90% of cases with a single operation. Left alone, retinal detachment is typically a blinding condition. Your doctor will make recommendations based on your particular case. These cases are less urgent, and occasionally conservative management (ie. Some patients present with long-standing retinal detachments. Once the macula has detached (‘macula off’), there is more of a question mark over what the vision might be afterwards, and studies show the results are much the same if it is repaired any time in the next week or 10 days. As such, fresh ‘macula on’ retinal detachments typically require surgery within a day or two. Ideally, we fix the retinal detachment before the macula comes away as most of those patients will recover essentially normal vision afterwards. The urgency of surgery depends on a number of factors. Some degree of double vision is not uncommon within the first 2 weeks after a buckle procedure, but rare thereafter.

If you ever feel like you have conjunctivitis in an eye with a buckle, see your vitreoretinal surgeon for assessment. Although the buckle is designed to remain in place forever, about 10% of patients will end up needing it removed at some stage. Occasionally, both ‘vitrectomy and buckle’ will be needed. ‘Cryotherapy’ involves using a freezing probe to seal around the retinal breaks, and a ‘buckle’ (a piece of silicone like transparent rubber band) is stitched to the white part of the eye (‘sclera’) to push the wall of the eye back in contact with the retina. The macula is the central part of the retina which serves your fine central vision, and whether the macula has been affected by the retinal detachment or not (described as ‘macula on’ or ‘macula off’ retinal detachment) will help determine the urgency of surgery and the likelihood of the vision improving afterwardsĬauses best managed with an alternative style of retinal detachment repair called a ‘cryo-buckle’ procedure. Retinal detachment occurs in about 1 in 10,000 people per year, but if one eye is affected, there is about 10% chance of developing the same problem in the fellow eye at some stage. Retinal detachment occurs when the retina peels away from the inside of the eye like wallpaper coming off a wall.

The retina is very delicate nerve tissue like photographic film in a camera that lines the back of the eye.

Do you get put to sleep for retina detachment surgery