If you want to see more clearly today, you have several different life-changing options at your disposal. Not only is LASIK surgery a trending corrective procedure, patients who are older often choose vitreous surgery in Grand Rapids to correct floaters.
How Floaters Appear
The need for a vitreous procedure results when a vitreous detachment occurs. A detachment happens when the gel or vitreous, at the back of the eye separates from the retina. In turn, the patient often experiences floaters or flashes. The biggest medical concern connected with this eye condition is that a retinal tear may develop. If this happens, a retinal detachment can also occur. If you have flashes or floaters and believe you have a vitreous detachment, it is important that you make sure that the retina has not been torn as well.
Often, the most annoying aspect of a vitreous detachment are the floaters, which usually improve on their own after about 6 months. If the floater situation does not get better by that time, it can become distracting while reading or driving.
That is when you should consider vitreous surgery, or what is popularly known as a vitrectomy. Because the procedure can trigger such complications as cataracts, retinal detachment, infection, or bleed, it is essential that the floaters you are experiencing are significant and detrimental to your vision.
Reasons for a Vitrectomy
However, a floater problem is not the only reason that vitreous surgery may take place. A vitrectomy can also be performed in the following cases:
Hemorrhage
A vitreous hemorrhage may call for a vitrectomy when it results in blurred vision. The hemorrhage often occurs in connection with proliferative diabetic retinopathy, but may also happen as a result of vein occlusions or the complications that are linked to age-related macular generation. A serious eye injury may also cause a vitreous hemorrhage to occur.
PVR
If a tear has been made in the retina and a repair is indicated, then a vitrectomy is needed to facilitate the repair. The surgery is also indicated for the ophthalmological condition of PVR, or retinal detachment with proliferative vitreoretinopathy. PVR happens when excessive scar tissue grows on the retina’s surface and in the gel or vitreous. The tissue, in turn, pulls on the retina. This condition can be caused by a severe eye injury or as a very rare side effect of a retinal detachment.
In some cases, a vitreous surgery is performed when endophthalmitis develops. This eye infection may result from an eye injury or procedure. The surgery is performed after the injection of antibiotics. The procedure is also recommended when a lens becomes dislocated during a cataract procedure or macular hole forms in the retina’s center. In conclusion, the procedure is well-received by patients who suffer from a variety of eye problems, and it can bring back normal vision to many afflicted patients.