Vitrectomy Surgery

My father recently was informed that he needs to have Vitrectomy Surgery.  Where can I find information about hte surgery such as sucess rates, etc.  Furthermore, he also found out that another macular hole is starting in his other eye.  They recommend doing surgery in both eyes at once.  Is that a good idea?  He is afraid he could lose sight in both eyes due to the surgery.  I am of the opinion that loss of sight is guaranteed without surgery.  Your thoughts?  THANK YOU!  Joe

[Forum-OD-MP]

dont know about info on success rates.  sorry.
macular hole usually does occur in both eyes.  macular holes can be vision devastating.  i am usually a fairly conservative "wait-and-see" type of guy, but a macular hole is a pretty big deal.

if the surgeone wants to do both eyes and he/you dont, then get a second opinion.  it'll be hard for me to tell you what to do, but again macular holes *usually* uccyr in both eyes, and can certainly decrease your father's quality of life.  obviously dont just rush into surgery, but dont be too scared of it, either.  there's a reason they're recommending it...

[Lu An]

The success rate following vitrectomy surgery for a macular hole is based on many things.  How long has the hole been there?  How well does the patient follow the post-operative instructions to keep his head down?  How experianced is the surgeon?  The surgery itself usually takes only about an hour.  I work for a retina surgeon and he quotes about an 80% chance that vision will improve.  That does not mean vision will return to 20/20, but should improve.  If your father has not already had cataract surgery then there is a high chance he will need it within a year or so.  Following surgery vision will not be immediately improved.  The gas bubble (or silicone oil) will distort his vision.  Over a period of 4 to 6 weeks the gas bubble will slowly dissipate and be replaced by the eye's own natural fluid.  If your father has silicone oil instead of a gas bubble it will have to be surgically removed a few months later.  With a gas bubble the patient must remain face down for at least 7 days following surgery.  The gas bubble always floats to the top so if he is face down the bubble will float up to the macula and press against to keep it flat and closed while healing.  If he has silicone oil he will only need to be face down for the 1st night following surgery but then he will have to go through another surgical procedure later to have the silicone oil removed.  Silicone oil is very thick and distorts the vision.
I hope this information is helpful.  If you have more questions you can call me at 432-332-2682.