Life After Retinal Detachment Surgery: What to Expect

Your eyes are intricate organs that require intense coordination of several of their parts to process light in a way that allows you to see. Once the light is in your eye after passing through your lens and cornea, your retina is responsible for focusing the light to observe the environment around you, and the retinal nerve transmits that to your brain. If a single part of this process is compromised, it can affect how your eye captures light and hinder your ability to see things properly.

A retinal detachment is an example of a single part of the eye not functioning as it should – the retina pulls out of position, leading to vision problems that, without treatment, can lead to permanent damage to your eyes. We offer several surgical solutions to treat a retinal detachment, but once it’s done, you’ll need to know what to expect while you’re recovering.

If you’re struggling with a retinal detachment and live in the Muncie, Indiana, area, Dr. Jeffrey Rapkin and his staff at Retina Consultants of Muncie can help.

What causes retinal detachment?

This condition is the result of the tissue that holds your retina in place tearing or pulling away from your eye, leading to flashes of light, floaters, and darkening areas in your visual range, including your peripheral (side) vision. Without treatment, permanent vision loss can occur in a matter of days. 

Many factors can lead to this form of detachment, including:

• Eye injury
• A history of eye surgeries
• Aging
• Inherited eye disorders
• Posterior vitreous detachment
• Nearsightedness

A retinal detachment is also closely linked to conditions that affect your retina like diabetic retinopathy and lattice degeneration.

Repairing a detachment

To repair the damage done to your retina, we can perform surgical procedures like:

Scleral buckle surgery

The placement of a silicone band around your eye to hold the retina in place. The band gently pressures the sides, moving the eye toward your retina.

Vitrectomy

The vitreous humor is the mass of white gel-like substance that takes up most of the space in your eye, and this procedure removes it and replaces it with a compatible substance to push the retina into place.

Laser therapy

Dr. Rapkin uses a handheld laser device to seal retinal tears and create a scar to hold it in place.

Pneumatic retinopexy

A process similar to the vitrectomy, but it doesn’t require removing all of the vitreous humor to work. Instead, Dr. Rapkin inserts a small gas bubble to push the retina back into place.

Recovery timeline

Once surgery is completed, the overall healing process will depend on the treatment Dr. Rapkin uses to repair the detachment, but once it’s done there are several basic steps to recovery:

Protecting your eye

You’ll wear a soft eye patch and a hard shield until we have a chance to check your eyes after surgery. Avoid rubbing or touching your eye as it heals, and expect it to feel gritty and uncomfortable if sutures were used.

Using eye drops

Medicated eye drops will help to keep your eye moist and free of dust particles as it heals.

Expect vision changes as you recover

Floaters, double vision, or flashes of light can be expected up to several weeks after surgery as vision is slowly returning to normal.

Make some lifestyle changes

When resting, you’ll need to lie facedown with your head to the side. If a gas bubble was used in treatment you’ll need to avoid flights until Dr. Rapkin confirms it’s gone and wear a medical identification wristband to inform other healthcare providers you have a gas bubble.

Alert us if you have severe eye pain

If you experience intense pain after surgery, let us know as soon as possible so we can assess the problem and deal with it.

Retinal detachment surgery can take on many forms and recovering can take time, but it’s all worth it to preserve your ability to see. Make an appointment with Dr. Rapkin and Retina Consultants of Muncie if you’re experiencing the signs of retinal detachment.