Retinal detachment surgery (vitrectomy)

Retinal detachment surgery helps to reattach your retina, preventing serious complications with your sight. We perform retinal detachment surgery at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Specialist Care so that you can protect your vision and eye health. 

What is retinal detachment surgery? 

Retinal detachment surgery, or a vitrectomy, is a surgical procedure to reattach your retina.  

Your retina is the lining at the back of your eye that helps to convert light into electrical signals and send them to your brain. Your retina can detach if it begins to pull away from the blood vessels that supply it with oxygen and nutrients. 

If left untreated, retinal detachment can cause blindness in the affected eye.  

Retinal detachment is a medical emergency, so always seek treatment immediately if you suspect you have a detached retina. 

In a vitrectomy, the surgeon removes the vitreous jelly – the gel-like substance that fills your eye – which allows your surgeon to access and reattach your retina. 

What are the symptoms of a retinal detachment? 

Symptoms of retinal detachment typically come on suddenly and can include: 

• a dark curtain-like shadow moving across your vision 
• changes to your eyesight, such as blurriness 
• a sudden increase in floaters (dots or lines) in your vision 
• flashes of light in your eye 

Retinal detachment requires urgent medical attention as it can cause permanent vision loss.  

Preparing for retinal detachment surgery 

Your surgeon will provide personalised advice on preparing for your retinal detachment surgery. This advice might include stopping certain medications and fasting, depending on the type of anaesthetic they’ll use. 

You cannot drive yourself home from the hospital as you will have temporarily blurred vision, so be sure to arrange transport beforehand. 

What happens during retinal detachment surgery? 

We can perform retinal detachment surgery with local or general anaesthetic. Local anaesthetic means numbing the area around your eye, but you’ll be awake during the procedure. You’ll be asleep throughout if the surgeon uses a general anaesthetic. 

Once the anaesthetic has taken effect, your surgeon will carefully remove the vitreous jelly from your eye and reattach your retina using surgical instruments. 

Next, they’ll insert a small gas bubble inside your eye before replacing the vitreous jelly. The gas bubble acts like a splint to keep your retina in place. It can temporarily affect your vision but will absorb itself in either 10 to 12 days or 6 to 8 weeks, depending on the type of gas used. 

It’s typical to see shadows or lights inside your eye during the treatment, as your retina will still function while the surgeon continues the treatment. 

Surgeons perform retinal detachment surgery on 1 eye at a time, so you must attend another appointment if you require treatment in both eyes, although simultaneous retinal detachment is incredibly rare. 

How long does retinal detachment surgery take? 

Generally, retinal detachment surgery takes around 1 hour to complete. However, the more complex the procedure, the longer it can take, and some patients may require a follow-up operation. 

Vitrectomy recovery 

After your retinal detachment surgery, a surgical team member will take you to the recovery room. You might have to stay in the hospital longer if you’ve had a general anaesthetic, rather than a local anaesthetic. However, most people can go home on the same day. 

Your surgeon will provide specific instructions to follow when you’re home to support your healing. They might give you a patch or cover for your treated eye that you should wear for the first 24 hours. 

In addition, your surgeon may advise keeping your head upright for a few days to help keep the gas bubble in the correct spot – including when you sleep (pillows can help). 

They may also give you eye drops to reduce the risk of infection and promote healing, which you might need to use them for up to 6 weeks. 

For the next 2 to 6 weeks of your recovery, it’s usual for your:  

• vision to be blurry 
• eye to be sore and red (paracetamol can alleviate these symptoms) 
• eye to feel gritty 

You must also avoid driving until your vision meets the legal driving standards, which can be confirmed by an ophthalmologist at a follow-up appointment with us. You shouldn’t fly until your gas bubble is absorbed, as high altitudes can cause it to expand, leading to severe eye damage and pain. You may want to take time off work as you your vision might be affected for up to 6 weeks. 

What is the recovery time for a vitrectomy? 

Each person’s recovery differs and how long you take to recover will also depend on factors like the complexity of your surgery. On average, it takes between 2 and 6 weeks for you to recover. 

Benefits of retinal detachment surgery 

The main benefit of retinal detachment surgery is that it prevents you from developing permanent vision loss in your affected eye.  

Risks of a vitrectomy 

Any surgical procedure carries potential risks. Those associated with a vitrectomy can include the following: 

• developing a new cataract or growing a current cataract faster  
• low or high pressure in your eye 
• failure to repair your retina 
• infection  

Although the risk of complications is small, our expert-led team takes every precaution to minimise them. 

Before your vitrectomy, your surgeon will review all the possible complications that could occur due to your surgery. We’ll provide all the information you need about possible complications, so you fully understand the potential outcomes of surgery.