Retina Treatments

ATTENTION: Retinal exams and treatments ARE emergencies. A delay in treatment could affect your final visual outcome. If you think you need retinal treatment, call us immediately. This could mean the difference between a simple, in-office repair and a major surgery in the hospital.

Retina Treatments

At the Eye Surgery Center of Louisiana, we offer a full range of treatment options. While this page offers detailed information on these treatments, it does not provide personalized recommendations. To determine the most suitable treatment for your specific case, it is recommended to consult with one of our ophthalmologists who can offer tailored advice.

Treatment options include:

  • Laser retina repair

  • Pneumatic retinopexy

  • Vitrectomy

  • Scleral buckle

Laser retina repair

Laser retina repair, also called laser photocoagulation, is used to repair a retinal tear or to prevent progression of a very small retinal detachment. A laser is directed at the area around the retinal tear, creating a precise burn that binds the retina to underlying tissue. This prevents further tearing and also prevents vitreous fluid from seeping behind the retina to cause a retinal detachment.

Pneumatic retinopexy

Pneumatic retinopexy is used to treat retinal detachment. In this procedure, a gas bubble is injected into the eye in the clinic. The bubble puts pressure on the detached retina, pressing it back against the underlying tissue. Then, laser retina repair is applied in the clinic a few days or a week later to seal the retina in place so that it will not detach again once the gas bubble resolves. This procedure is a great option to prevent needing to go to the operating room, but does require extensive positioning requirements (such as maintaining a head tilt all day and night) by the patient for one to two weeks. Until the bubble dissolves completely, it is not clear if the procedure is successful. Also, whenever a gas bubble is placed in the eye, you should not get dental work or fly in an airplane until the bubble has dissolved and your doctor has told you it is safe to travel.

Vitrectomy

A vitrectomy is a surgical procedure conducted on the eye, specifically the vitreous humor, which is the gel-like substance filling the space between the lens and the retina. This procedure involves the removal of the gel-like substance from the eye. This can be done to stop tugging on the retina by the vitreous gel, as well as to remove vision-obscuring impurities in the vitreous. Once removed, the vitreous gel may be replaced with air, gas (such as SF6 or C3F8), or silicone oil. Similar to a pneumatic retinopexy, when a gas bubble is used, you may have strict positioning requirements and will not be able to get dental work or fly in an airplane until the bubble has dissolved, which can take up to 2-3 months depending on the gas used.

Scleral buckle

A scleral buckle is a surgical procedure used to treat retinal detachment. In this procedure, the eye is indented to push the supporting tissue back up against the detached retina. The indentation created by the buckle provides external support, essentially pushing the sclera toward the detached retina. This procedure also reduces tension on the retina that may be caused by attachment to the vitreous gel–the clear liquid in the eye.

A scleral buckle placement is sometimes down on its own, or other times is done along with a vitrectomy at the same time. For those patients that are good candidates for scleral buckle procedures, it may reduce the need for positioning or travel restrictions. Scleral buckling procedures are time-consuming and associated with more discomfort for the patient, so they are not used as often as they used to be done.

Treatment outcomes

In most cases, retinal detachment treatment is successful in placing the retina back in contact with the supporting tissue. The success rate of retinal detachment procedures is around 80-90%, depending on the patient and the procedure used. If the initial treatment proves unsuccessful, alternative options can be explored.

Predicting the visual outcome is challenging, but most individuals regain at least some of their vision post-surgery. In some cases, the purpose of surgery may be to prevent further vision loss rather than improve vision. The extent of vision recovery is influenced by factors such as how much of the retina was affected, how good your vision was before surgery, and whether the central region of the retina, known as the macula, was impacted.