The operation is performed under local anesthesia with sedation. This operation is completely painless. It lasts an average of about an hour, after which the patient can be checked out the same day.
Vitrectomy is the removal of the vitreous from the inside of the eyeball, through small white holes (less than 1 mm), after which it is replaced with a special gas (which is resorbed over time) or silicone oil, and the holes in the retina are attached with a laser.
During vitrectomy, the eye is entered through 4 small openings of 1 mm each on the white part of the eye (white eye). During the operation, the vitreous, which is ill and caused the ablation, is removed. The vitreous is then compensated by the normal aqueous humor that the eye itself produces and the eye functions normally. Once the vitreous has been removed, the “holes” in the retina are identified, and the retina is attached with a laser.
At the end of the operation, gas or silicone oil is put into the eye to hold the retina until it is completely attached. The advantage of the gas is that it comes out of the eye by itself and after 2 to 6 weeks it is not necessary to have additional surgery to remove the silicone oil. In cases where the ablation is not detected in time or is complicated and there are scars in the eye, silicone oil is put into the eye which is then removed from the eye after several months, but it can remain for a year if the eye is severely damaged.