Post-op Eye Surgery Recovery
Vitrectomy
What is it?
Vitrectomy is the medical procedure in which gas or oil is inserted inside your eye as a replacement to a condensed and fibrous vitreous gel. A vitrectomy may be performed to clear blood and debris from the eye, to remove scar tissue, or to alleviate traction on the retina.
Why Face Down Recovery?
Upon insertion, the gas bubble rises and applies pressure to the area that need healing. However, since the retina is at the back of the eye, the gas bubble will only apply pressure to the top of the eye when looking up right, and not the retina. To correct this is by simply having your head facing down. It is also very challenging to keep you head face down while sleeping when there is a possibility of rollovers.
To repair the macular hole, the surgeon removes the vitreous and replaces it with a gas bubble (see Figure 2). The bubble rises and applies pressure to the area in need of healing. Since the macula is at the back of the eye, the gas bubble will only work if the patient's head is positioned face down.
Pressure against the hole flattens the macula against the wall of the eye(see Figure 3), and impaired visual area is minimized. During the ensuing weeks, the afflicted eye will begin to heal, the macula will re-bond to the eye wall, and as the gas bubble is reabsorbed by the eye it will be replaced by the clear aqueous fluid which your eye produces at all times.
