Pneumatic Retinopexy
Pneumatic Retinopexy is an effective surgery for certain types of retinal detachments. A bubble of gas is used to push the retina against the wall of the eye, thus allowing fluid to be pumped out from beneath the retina. It is usually an outpatient procedure done with local anesthesia.
During pneumatic retinopexy, the eye doctor (ophthalmologist) injects a gas bubble into the middle of the eyeball. Your head is positioned so that the gas bubble floats to the detached area and presses lightly against the detachment. The bubble flattens the retina so that the fluid can be pumped out from beneath it. The eye doctor then uses a freezing probe (cryopexy) or laser beam (photocoagulation) to seal the tear in the retina.
A variation of this surgery uses a large bubble of silicone oil instead of a gas bubble to close and flatten the retina. A vitrectomy procedure, in which the vitreous gel is removed, is required to inject silicone oil. Because the silicone oil cannot be absorbed, a second procedure may be needed to remove the oil after the retinal detachment has healed.
A Fiber optic light source is used to illuminate and visualise the inside the eye during surgery. The surgeon would often use an infusion line to maintain the eye'x shape during surgery.Silicone oil or a gas (perfluropropane) is injected into the eye to replace the vitreous gel and restore normal pressure in the eye towards the end of the surgery.
Vitrectomy is always done by an eye doctor who has special training in treating problems of the retina.
Risks associated with it:
The most frequent problems from pneumatic retinopexy include:
The success of pneumatic retinopexy depends on keeping the gas bubble against the retina until it flattens. This will require you to hold your head and eye in the proper position for long periods of time.