What Is Macular Hole Surgery?

By Author: retinasurgeon
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A macular hole is when a hole forms in the macula. As it forms, your central vision starts to become distorted, blurred or wavy. As this hole continues to grow, dark or blind spots can occur in your central vision. It will not affect your peripheral vision.

The most common cause of a macular hole is age. As we get older, the vitreous gel, that gives our eyes their shape, starts to shrink, pulling away from the retina. In most cases the vitreous gel pulls away without any problems. There are times where some of the vitreous sticks to the retina, causing the macula to stretch, forming a hole. Macular holes can also form when the macula swells from an eye disease, other times it can form due to an injury.

In order to diagnose a macular hole, you will need to visit an ophthalmologist. This eye specialist will put drops in your eye, causing your pupil to dilate, enabling them to look through a lens into your eye. They take pictures of the eye using optical coherence tornography or OCT. This is a machine that can scan the back of the eye, providing them with valuable information to make an accurate diagnosis.

Macular ...
... hole surgery is known as a vitrectomy. This is the best way to treat this condition. Your ophthalmologist will remove the vitreous gel that is pulling on the macula, inserting a gas bubble inside your eye. The bubble helps to keep the macula flat, holding the hole in place as your eye heals. Over time the gas bubble is absorbed into the body.

Vitrectomy surgery or macular hole surgery is relatively common, but is still an invasive surgery and there are a few things you should be aware of. Firstly, it's not uncommon for your eye to be painful after the surgery. You can take medication to reduce this pain.

In addition to this, you will need to wear a patch over the eye for a short period of time. This is to protect the eye from dust, dirt and infection. You will also have to put eye drops in your eye to reduce the risk of infection.

Your ophthalmologist may recommend a face down recovery, which is when you have to lie with your face down for a period of time. This is often for up to a week. The reason for this is to hold the gas bubble in place. You will also have to refrain from flying, scuba diving or hiking in the mountains until the gas bubble has been absorbed into the body. Going to these altitudes can cause the pressure in your eye to increase, causing problems with the gas bubble. If you have to have another surgery for something else, be sure the surgeon is aware you have a gas bubble in your eye.

As the macular hole closes, your vision will improve. It can take a few months for the macular hole to fully close and heal. The degree of vision improvement depends on the size of the macular hole that was treated with macular hole surgery, along with how long you had it before agreeing to surgery.

There are some risks associated with macular hole surgery, as with any surgery. Eye infections, bleeding in the eye and detached retinas are all potential risks associated with macular hole surgery. Other risks include glaucoma and cataracts.

About Us:

Mahi Muqit is a leading consultant ophthalmologist, cataract and vitreoretinal surgeon at two private clinics in London, United Kingdom. He provides patients with superior service and support with a range of surgical procedures to meet their eye sight requirements. He has built up a solid reputation for his eye services in the London area as an expert eye doctor and surgeon offering surgical retina, medical retina and complex cataract surgery. He also offers surgery to patients suffering from diabetic retinopathy. Mahi Muqit is a member of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists, a member of the British and Eire Association of Vitreoretinal Surgeons and the UK and Ireland Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons. To find out more, visit - https://www.retinasurgeon.uk.com/.