Retinal Detachment

There are a few different options to treat retinal tears or detachments, such as laser treatment or surgery, depending on the situation and severity. Your ophthalmologist will discuss the pros and cons of these options with you, and recommend a suitable treatment plan.

Retinal Tears
When a retinal tear or hole has not progressed to a retinal detachment, your ophthalmologist may suggest an outpatient laser procedure to prevent the tear from developing into a retinal detachment.

Laser treatment does not close the tear but works by forming a scar around the retinal tear, to prevent the retina from detaching.

Retinal Detachment
If your retina has detached, usually surgical procedures will be required to repair it. There are a few different surgical procedures used to repair retinal detachments, and your ophthalmologist will recommend the most suitable approach for you, which depends on factors such as the type of detachment and severity. Some of the potential options include: 

• Scleral buckling
  Your ophthalmologist may choose to place a scleral buckle, which is a silicone band that encircles the eye like a belt. The scleral acts externally to reattach the retina.
   
• Vitrectomy
  A vitrectomy is a form of "keyhole" surgery that uses small instruments to enter the eye to remove the vitreous gel in the eye. This allows the surgeon to reattach the retina internally, and to apply laser treatment around the retinal tear. In most cases, the eye will be filled with a gas bubble (or sometimes silicone oil) at the end of surgery, to help with holding the retina in place, and keeping it attached. Following surgery, if a gas bubble was injected, your doctor may instruct you to maintain a specific head position (usually face-down) for up to two weeks after surgery, and you would also need to avoid air travel until the gas bubble dissolves. The eye will refill naturally with fluid over time.
  
  
• Pneumatic retinopexy
  Some select cases of retinal detachment may be treated with a gas injection into the eye, which can be done as an outpatient procedure in the clinic. The gas bubble helps to temporarily seal the retinal tear and helps the reattachment of the retina. Usually a laser treatment will be needed to seal the area around the retinal tear in the next few days. 
Similarly, after gas bubble injection, your doctor may instruct you to maintain a specific head position (usually on one side) for a few weeks, and you would also need to avoid air travel until the gas bubble dissolves. The eye will refill naturally with fluid over time.

Face-down posture after retinal detachment surgery