Risks of Vitrectomy Eye Surgery

Vitrectomy eye surgery is a major procedure and is often performed under general anaesthetic.

Before you have the anaesthetic you will be given eye drops to widen your pupil.

Depending on the reason you are having it done you may need to stay in hospital for a couple of days or you may be able to return home the same day.

Vitrectomy eye surgery is only recommended for serious eye conditions as it does come with a number of risks, both common and rare.

So what are the risks of vitrectomy eye surgery?

Common Risks of Vitrectomy Eye Surgery

Here are three of the common risks of vitrectomy eye surgery:

1. Torn retina
2. Detachment of the retina
3. Cataracts, or cloudy patches in the eye

Rare Complications of Vitrectomy Eye Surgery

These are some of the rarer complications associated with vitrectomy eye surgery. They can usually be treated.

• Bleeding within the eye
• Bruising around the eye
• Glaucoma or swelling in the eye
• Double vision
• Infection in the eye
• An immune reaction affecting the other eye

If you have vitrectomy eye surgery for floaters the vitreous humour in your eye will be replaced with saline solution and you shouldn’t notice any difference. If you have vitrectomy eye surgery for a detached retina you may have the vitreous humour replaced with a gas bubble. In this case you will be unable to fly for a short time and must inform doctors if you have further operations with anaesthetic.

Find out more about vitrectomy eye surgery here.

Related Posts and Articles

There are a number of reasons that people undergo vitrectomy eye surgery, and one of these is a condition known as ‘floaters.’ Floaters are small pieces of debris that float in the vitreous humour, a clear jelly like substance that fills the part of the eyeball between the lens and the retina. Floaters become more [...]