What Is a Vitrectomy?
A vitrectomy is a type of surgery in which blood is removed from the center of the eye. It is often recommended for the treatment of proliferative retinopathy, the most advanced stage of diabetic retinopathy, if the bleeding is severe.
Another treatment option for proliferative retinopathy is scatter laser treatment (see Diabetic Retinopathy Treatment for more information).
What You Need to Know
You may need a vitrectomy to restore your sight if you have a lot of blood in the center of the eye (vitreous gel). If you need this procedure in both eyes, they are usually done several weeks apart.
A vitrectomy is performed under either local or general anesthesia. Your doctor makes a tiny incision in your eye. Next, a small instrument is used to remove the vitreous gel that is clouded with blood. The vitreous gel is replaced with a salt solution. Because the vitreous gel is mostly water, you will notice no change between the salt solution and the original gel.
Recovering From a Vitrectomy
You will probably be able to return home after the vitrectomy. Some people stay in the hospital overnight. Your eye will be red and sensitive, and you will need to wear an eye patch for a few days or weeks to protect your eye. Immediately after the surgery, you also will need to use medicated eyedrops to protect against infection.
How Effective Is It?
 What Is Diabetic Eye Disease?
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Vitrectomy is effective in reducing vision loss. People with proliferative retinopathy have less than a 5 percent chance of becoming blind within five years after a vitrectomy that is performed as part of timely and appropriate diabetic retinopathy treatment.
Although this procedure has a high success rate, it does not cure diabetic retinopathy. Once you have proliferative retinopathy, you always will be at risk for new bleeding. You may need treatment for diabetic retinopathy more than once to protect your sight.
Cataracts
Glaucoma
Glaucoma originates as pressure builds up in the eye. Over time, this pressure damages your eye’s main nerve — the optic nerve. The damage first causes you to lose sight from the sides of your eyes. Treating glaucoma is usually simple. Your eye doctor will give you special drops to use every day to lower the pressure in your eye. Or your eye doctor may want you to have laser surgery.
Preventing Diabetic Eye Disease
Here are some things you can do that may help prevent or slow down diabetic eye disease:
* Keep your blood glucose and blood pressure as close to normal as you can.
* Have an eye doctor examine your eyes once a year. Have this exam even if your vision is okay. The eye doctor will use drops to make the black part of your eyes (pupils) bigger. This is called dilating your pupil, which allows the doctor to see the back of your eye. Finding diabetic eye disease early and getting treatment right away will help prevent more serious problems later on.
* Ask your eye doctor to check for signs of cataracts and glaucoma.
* If you are pregnant and have diabetes, see an eye doctor during your first three months of pregnancy.
* If you are planning to get pregnant, ask your doctor if you should have an eye exam.
* Don’t smoke.
The lens focuses light onto the retina. A cataract makes everything you look at seem cloudy, and surgery is needed to remove it. During surgery, your lens is taken out and a plastic lens — like a contact lens — is put in. The plastic lens stays in your eye all the time. Cataract surgery helps you see clearly again.
