![]() ![]() The retina specialist may use a freezing device to seal the retina against the wall of the eye prior to the gas bubble injection or may use a laser to seal the tear a few days after the injection once the retina has begun reattaching.Then the retina specialist injects a gas bubble into the vitreous, or middle of the eye, and will position you so that the retinal tear sits at 12 o’clock, such that when the gas floats up (which is what it will always do) it will push the retinal tear closed and push the retina back in to proper position.Your eye is numbed with local anesthesia before surgery, including numbing eye drops and numbing eye gel.The retina specialist will typically first examine your eye before the procedure.Here are the simplified steps for the pneumatic retinopexy surgery: Pneumatic retinopexy is a fairly quick procedure. The procedure itself lasts about a minute, but most of the time is in numbing the eye, so that you feel no pain during the procedure. Pneumatic retinopexy is typically completed within 30 minutes. How Long Will the Pneumatic Retinopexy Surgery Take? Your eye will be dilated and a retina exam performed prior to the procedure, but otherwise, there is nothing that needs to be done to prepare. These discussions are important to have prior to any procedure. If the pneumatic retinopexy is successful, then you can often avoid going to the operating room for surgery, but often surgery is needed to repair the retina in addition to a pneumatic retinopexy. Every situation is different, and you should know what to expect prior to the procedure. This should be communicated to your retina specialist, as you may not be a good candidate for pneumatic retinopexy.įurthermore, you should discuss with your retina specialist the success rate of pneumatic retinopexy with your specific retinal detachment and your specific ability to position your head. For others, often with neck or back issues, or other medical issues, they are unable to position properly for such a long period of time. For some people, this is not a problem, and they are able to correctly position for the appropriate amount of time until the retina reattaches. Often, the head needs to be tilted to the side for up to one week, day and night. The most important thing to do is discuss with your retina specialist the positioning of your head that you will need to hold for the pneumatic retinopexy to be successful, and for how long you will have to hold that position. This is usually not practical, but may be used in rare circumstances. Pneumatic retinopexy is usually not used for retinal tears that are at 6 o’clock position (bottom of the retina) as the gas likes to float up, and you would need to keep your head upside down to achieve the goal of the gas bubble pushing the retina back into place and closing the retinal tear. Your retina surgeon will tell you how to position your head for the first few days or week, while the gas bubble is working to reattach your retina. ![]() If the retinal tear is at 10 o’clock position, you may need to position your head with a slight tilt. For example, if the retinal tear is at 12 o’clock position, you simply need to sit or stand upright for the gas to float up and close the retinal tear from the inside of the eye. You will need to hold your head in a certain position after the gas bubble is injected into your eye. The retinal tear causing the detachment is in the upper part of the retina.Pneumatic retinopexy is done for certain types of retinal detachments, typically for rhegmatogenous retinal detachments. Why is a Pneumatic Retinopexy Surgery Performed? The gas bubble goes away by itself, getting smaller and smaller over the course of 4-8 weeks, after which, if successful, the retina should be back to its proper position and the vision should be improved. Cryopexy (freezing) or laser are then used to permanently seal the retinal tear to the wall of the eye. When the gas floats up, it pushes the retina that is detached back into proper position and also closes the retinal tear against the wall of the eye at the same time, thus repairing the retinal detachment. ![]() A gas bubble is injected into the eye (vitreous cavity). The eye is numbed with anesthesia so there is no pain. Pneumatic retinopexy typically treats rhegmatogenous retinal detachments. Pneumatic retinopexy is an in-office procedure used to repair certain types of retinal detachments. ![]()
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