Frequently Asked Questions

• At some point, a tear in your retina will almost always cause symptoms. But by the time you notice symptoms this could be an emergency and you should see an eye doctor that specializes in the retina as soon as possible so that you don’t lose your vision.

• When you are flying in an airplane, there could be high pressure in your eye. This pressure could become too high in your eye and could and be dangerous. This pressure could cause your eye to hurt a lot and make you even lose your vision. It may or not be able to be fixed even with surgery and the vision loss or blindness could be permanent (last forever).

• No

• This can depend on many factors and not everyone does or gets the same type or severity of cataract. It can depend on when you have had your surgery. First of all, most people will naturally develop cataracts, a clouding of the lens inside of our eyes, if they live long enough. So most older people develop cataracts anyway. Having a vitrectomy, or surgery inside the eye, can make a cataract form faster than it normally would. The chance of developing a cataract depends a lot on how much of a cataract you started with; many patients have a minor cataract that they wouldn’t even notice. The average patient who gets a typical retinal detachment repaired by a surgery called “vitrectomy” often gets a noticeable cataract or clouding of their lens within 1-2 years.

• Typically or generally no. Some people who are very near sighted (they need glasses or contact lenses to see far) have thin retinas and are at increased risk of a tear in their retina

• This question is best answered by your surgeon. Your surgeon can also provide coping mechanisms and chairs, pillow, and equipment that may help make you more comfortable throughout the process. It is a tough thing to go through after surgery.

• No, not everyone does. This really depends on your surgeon’s preference. It is reasonable to do so, and also reasonable to not.

• This really depends on your surgeon.

• You might not have symptoms but still have a high eye pressure. Therefore, you should follow-up with your surgeon at the as much as your surgeon recommends so they can check the pressure in your eye

• Some signs and symtpoms of high eye pressure can include increasing or more eye redness (red in the white area of your eye) and a lot of pain, either on or around the eye. If you or someone you know has either of these symptoms, you or the person you know should contact your surgeon right away for advice.

• This really depends on the technique

• This is a long answer. Please see this youtube for a brief tutorial.

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• This depends on on technique and surgeon preference. There’s very little data on this question, so it is based on surgeon experience and the advice is variable.

• Again, this depends on the procedure done and surgeon preference. I would seek advice from your surgeon on this question.

● You are not feeling the actual oil, as it should be inside your eye where you have no pain or touch nerves. You may be feeling the normal discomfort of the eye after eye surgery. Discuss this directly with your surgeon.

● Yes, especially depending on when it develops. If you notice a black shadow, contact your laser doctor right away. It might not be a true problem, but contact your doctor or their office immediately.

● This is highly dependent on the type of gas and mixture that your surgeon chose. Discuss with them directly.

● This should be discussed with your surgeon.

● This should be discussed with your surgeon.

• Highly variable depending on suture choice and technique

• Highly dependent on surgeon and type of work

• This varies and is completely depends on cause of glare

• Completely dependent on what type of gas the surgeon placed, and what the retina surgery was for

● Ask your surgeon if and/or when it is safe for you to wear contact lenses again. Generally, one can wear them after they have recovered from buckle surgery. But in some cases, we recommend that patients avoid contact lenses after buckle surgery. Your prescription will likely change to some degree, but not always