Most retinal surgery is performed while you are awake. Retinal surgery is usually painless and performed while you remain awake and comfortable. Advances in technology have decreased the length of surgery making outpatient eye surgery possible.
As an outpatient procedure, retinal tear surgery is almost always performed while the patient is awake. Depending on the type of procedure they're undergoing, it can take anywhere from ten minutes to two hours to complete.
What does the operation involve? Various anaesthetic techniques are possible, including a general anaesthetic or a local anaesthetic that is injected around your eye to numb it. The operation usually takes about 90 minutes. Your surgeon can repair any tears or holes using a laser or by freezing treatment.
Surgery is done under anesthesia, so it's not painful. After surgery, you may have some amount of pain in the eye. Your eye may be tender, red or swollen for a couple of weeks.
Resuming physical activity after retinal surgery
Ask your surgeon when you can get back to your normal routine. No strenuous (tough or challenging) exercise for 1 to 2 weeks after most retinal surgery. Light exercise, like walking, may be safe.
You may have to keep your head face down (parallel to the ground or to the side) for up to several weeks after surgery so the bubble will be in the right position.
Generally, driving can be resumed in several days if you have good vision in your other eye. If you do not feel comfortable driving, do not drive! Your depth perception may be decreased, so you will want to try driving during the day in light traffic until you feel comfortable driving.
Retinal surgery has a high success rate, and for most people vision is preserved. However, in some people, there may be a recurrence of retinal detachment that may require two or more surgeries to treat. Risks and complications of all retinal surgeries include bleeding and infection.
Sometimes you might to sleep face down for one night after the surgery, it is a hard position to maintain. If you need to be face down then we recommended placing pillows behind your side to prevent you from rolling onto your back for that night.
Don't do things where you might move your head. This includes moving quickly, lifting anything heavy, or doing activities such as cleaning or gardening. You will probably need to take 2 to 4 weeks off from work. It depends on the type of work you do and how you feel.
You may walk, read, and watch TV, but it is important to follow any positioning requirements that your surgeon may have given you. You can resume your normal diet but start with light foods and drink first.
With a 99.3% reattachment rate for primary RRD repair after one or more surgeries, the Mass Eye and Ear Retina Service continues to maintain high success rates for this procedure. For the past 10 years, the Retina Service has consistently met international benchmarks of 97% to 100% for successful RRD repair.
What causes retinal detachment? There are many causes of retinal detachment, but the most common causes are aging or an eye injury.
Most patients notice no vision changes following their laser surgery, although there may be some temporary blurring for several weeks to months. In addition, depending on the condition being treated, some may notice a permanent blind spot or decrease in peripheral and night vision.
Swelling is normal for about one-two weeks after surgery and will gradually decrease. Swelling may worsen or last longer if you are instructed to maintain any face-down positioning after surgery by the doctor. The eye will be red after surgery. You should see the redness gradually decreasing over the next 3 to 4 weeks.
Does laser surgery hurt? Laser treatment is almost always painless. Most people find the bright lights more uncomfortable than the actual energy from the laser. If you need more extensive laser, sometimes you will have discomfort during the laser treatment.
Because it can take up to a week for the laser treatment to seal the retinal tear, a recovery period of about 10-14 days is recommended. It is normal for light flashes or floaters to continue after the laser surgery.
Recovery after a retinal tear is nothing like the recovery after retinal detachment surgery and much easier! For the most part, patients are even able to drive and work after laser treatment for a retinal tear, and there is no bubble needed (unlike in retinal detachment repairs).
Retinal detachment refers to the full lack of attachment of the retinal tissue along the back of the eye. This is more severe than retinal tears. The longer that a detached retina remains detached, the greater the risk of permanent vision loss.
Retinal tears and holes are quite common. In fact, they're found in about 10% of the population. A healthy, intact retina is essential for clear vision. When a crack develops in this thin tissue, it's known as a tear.
As you return home, you'll likely notice flashing lights, floaters, loss of peripheral vision, and many other vision problems or vision changes during recovery. If you follow the treatment and recovery plan properly, these vision symptoms are only temporary and will improve as time continues.
However, once the retina has detached, its rods and cones that detect light (the photoreceptors) may never recover completely. After surgery, the quality of vision depends on where the detachment occurred, and the cause: If the central area of vision (macula) was not involved, vision will usually be very good.
When your eye surgeon feels your eye has recovered, they will recommend having an eye exam to determine whether your eyeglass prescription is still right for you. It is possible that surgery has altered your optical prescription, so having updated eyeglasses will help you see and read more clearly.
The best thing to do is to simply relax in bed or in a chair with both eyes closed. You can walk around the house if necessary, but be aware that your balance may be affected by having one eye closed, so move slowly to minimize the risk of a fall. After the first 48 hours, you can slowly increase your activity levels.