In the 7 to 10 days after the operation, the gas bubble slowly starts to shrink. As this happens, the space that was taken up by the gas fills with the natural fluid made by your eye, and your vision should start to improve. It generally takes 6 to 8 weeks for the gas to be absorbed and vision to improve.
Gas bubble can remain in the eye for about 2-8 weeks depending on the type and volume of the gas. The patient's vision will be limited during this time. As the gas gets absorbed by the eye, the eye produces its own fluid which will serve to keep the eye formed and nourished indefinitely.
The bubble holds the retina in place to heal correctly. Your doctor will tell you how long you need to stay face down. It could be anywhere from a few days to a week or more. Over time, your eye fills with its own fluid, and the gas bubble disappears.
The longevity of the gas bubble varies among patients but is typically about 3 to 5 days for air, 2 to 3 weeks for SF6, and approximately 6 to 8 weeks for C3F8. Optimizing the gas fill in eyes undergoing vitreous surgery requires a complete vitrectomy.
After such a procedure, the patient is asked to maintain a face-down position for several days, which facilitates hole closure and improves vision. The gas bubble is then gradually absorbed over a period of weeks and the eye returns to a fluid-filled state.
Your vision may not be completely normal after your vitrectomy, especially if your condition caused permanent damage to your retina. Ask your eye doctor about how much improvement you can expect.
Gas used in retina surgery does not have to be removed. It will absorb slowly on its own. A bubble of air consists mostly of nitrogen and oxygen with small amounts of argon and carbon dioxide. Air will absorb in 5 to 7 days.
Avoid any bending or lifting for 1 week after surgery. After 1 week, you may do light housework and bend over to pick up light objects. Then, gradually resume your regular activities.
Because of this, many patients are concerned when surgery is complete and they are still experiencing blurry vision. However, this is a normal side effect of a vitrectomy. It can take several days, or even several weeks, for the eyes to fully recover and for the vision to be restored to its full potential.
After the surgery, your eye may be swollen, red, or tender for several weeks. You might have some pain in your eye and your vision may be blurry for a few days after the surgery. You will need 2 to 4 weeks to recover before you can do your normal activities again.
If you have a gas bubble in your eye, you CANNOT legally drive until the gas bubble is gone.
Don't do things that might cause you to move your head. This includes moving quickly, lifting anything heavy, or doing activities such as cleaning or gardening. If your doctor used an oil or gas bubble to hold the retina in place, keep your head in a certain position for a few days or longer after the surgery.
Because of the 'face down' position, the eye can become swollen within a few days of surgery. The force of gravity on the delicate skin around the eye can increase the swelling even once you have been discharged from hospital. The redness of the eye can take two or more weeks to start to clear.
You will need to sleep with head tilted to the side opposite to where the retina break is found at the time of surgery to allow the gas bubble to keep the retina in place around the break area until the retina seals in that area.
As the gas bubble is absorbed (taken in), you will see the edge of the bubble in your vision as a dark line. As the bubble gets smaller, it will look like a dark circle getting smaller and smaller until it disappears. It may break up into 2 or more smaller bubbles. This is normal.
The eye is left filled with sterile saline (salt water) or with a vitreous substitute such as a gas bubble or silicone oil. When a vitreous substitute is used, a period of post-operative positioning (typically face-down) by the patient helps the retina heal.
The vision through a gas bubble is very poor. A gas-filled eye can often only see movement. As you would expect, a gas bubble dissolves from bottom to top. The eye sees the opposite of what happens inside it, so from the patient's perspective, the bubble appears to dissolve from top to bottom.
You may wear your prescription glasses if these are comfortable, however please be mindful you may require new spectacle correction following the surgery. Your doctor will direct you at your review appointment when to visit your optician for new glasses.
The eye itself will produce a clear aqueous fluid to replace the gas. The gas will make the vision poor, however as the gas bubble becomes smaller, the patient will see it shrinking towards the bottom of the eye. Finally the gas will break up into smaller bubbles; these may appear as black dots/spots in their vision.
If you have a medical oil called 'Silicone oil; in your eye you should avoid lying flat on your back whilst the oil remains in the eye, this is to reduce the risk of the oil seeping into the front part of the eye causing the eye pressure to become unstable.
Unlike some eye surgeries, several very small stitches are required with retina surgery. Fortunately, these will dissolve on their own in several weeks. Following your surgery, you will probably feel like there is something in the eye. These are stitches you feel.
The small size of trocars does not completely prevent from vitreous incarceration that may lead to retinal tears during or even a long time after surgery. Indeed, retinal breaks may in theory also result from changes and contraction of the remaining vitreous and the vitreous base with a vitreous incarceration.
It is also normal to develop floaters after vitrectomy surgery, particularly if gas was used. Floaters are tiny spots or squiggly lines that 'float' in your line of vision; they are very common and usually aren't a cause for concern.
In rare cases, however, complications can occur, especially in immune-compromised individuals and those with a history of eye conditions or surgery. Possible side effects of vitrectomy procedures include: inflammation or redness, swelling, and pain. bleeding inside the eye.