Can you repair retinal detachment

If the doctor gave you a prescription medicine for pain, take it as prescribed. If you are not taking a prescription pain medicine, ask your doctor if you can take an over-the-counter medicine. You will need to use eyedrops for up to 6 weeks. Close your eye and put ice or a cold pack on it for 10 to 20 minutes at a time. Try to do this every 1 to 2 hours for the next 3 days when you are awake or until the swelling goes down.

Put a thin cloth between the ice and your skin. You can shower and wash your hair and face. But don't get any soap in your eye. You may want to use a face cloth when you wash your face.

Some people wear swimming goggles. Wear sunglasses during the day. You may have to wear an eye patch or shield for a few days. If your doctor used a gas bubble to hold the retina in place, keep your head in a certain position for most of the day and night for 1 to 3 weeks after the surgery. Your doctor will give you specific instructions. Do not lie on your back. The bubble will move to the front of the eye and press against the lens instead of the retina.

Airplane travel is dangerous. This is because the change in altitude may cause the gas bubble to expand and increase the pressure inside the eye. For example, call if: You passed out lost consciousness.

You have sudden chest pain, shortness of breath, or you cough up blood. The type of procedure your doctor chooses will depend on the severity of the detachment. One method of retinal detachment repair is pneumatic retinopexy.

In this procedure, a gas bubble is injected into the eye. The bubble presses against the detached retina and pushes it back into place. A laser or cryotherapy is then used to reattach the retina firmly into place. The gas bubble dissolves in a few days following the procedure. In more severe cases, a procedure called a scleral buckle may be performed.

The gas gradually disappears over the days or weeks following the surgery. Scleral buckling — the retinal tear is treated with cryotherapy, the fluid under the retina drained and a specially-shaped piece of silicone rubber sutured to the sclera, or outer wall of the eye.

The silicone creates an indent, which pushes the eye-wall back onto the retina. The scleral buckle remains in place indefinitely unless complications arise. Vitrectomy surgery — under an operating microscope the vitreous is surgically removed using very fine instruments, any tears are treated with laser or cryotherapy and the eye is filled with gas or silicone oil.

Once again it is important to follow instructions regarding post-operative head positioning in order to allow the retina to stick down. If silicone oil is used it does not dissolve by itself, and further surgery is usually necessary after a few months. After surgery for retinal detachment Immediately after the operation, you can expect: The eye will be covered with an eye pad and perhaps a protective eye shield.

You may need to stay in hospital overnight or, occasionally, longer. During the post-operative period: Your eye may be uncomfortable for several weeks, particularly if a scleral buckle has been used. Your vision will be blurry — it may take some weeks or even three to six months for your vision to improve.

Your eye may water. Avoid rubbing or pressing on the eye. You may need to wear an eye pad for protection at night while your eye is healing. Make sure to follow all directions for medications, such as eye drops.

Avoid vigorous activity for some weeks following surgery. Obey all instructions on head positioning. See your surgeon immediately if you experience severe pain. This may take up to four weeks Possible complications of surgery for retinal detachment Risks and complications depend on the procedure used, but can include: Cataract formation loss of clarity of the lens of the eye. Glaucoma raised pressure in the eye. Haemorrhage bleeding into the vitreous cavity.

Vision loss. Loss of the eye, although with modern surgical techniques this is a very unlikely outcome. Long term outlook for retinal detachment In most specialist centres around nine out of ten retinal detachments are successfully repaired with a single operation. Wickham L, Aylward GW. Optimal procedures for retinal detachment repair. Ryan's Retina. Updated by: Franklin W. Editorial team. Retinal detachment repair. Pneumatic retinopexy gas bubble placement is most often 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. The following procedures are done in a hospital or outpatient surgery center: The scleral buckle method indents the wall of the eye inward so that it meets the hole in the retina.

Scleral buckling can be done using numbing medicine while you are awake local anesthesia or when you are asleep and pain free general anesthesia. The vitrectomy procedure uses very small devices inside the eye to release tension on the retina. This allows the retina to move back into its proper position. Most vitrectomies are done with numbing medicine while you are awake. In complex cases, both procedures may be done at the same time.