Pneumatic Retinopexy

Pneumatic retinopexy is one of the three main surgical options used to treat retinal detachment, a condition in which the retina pulls away from the underlying tissue at the back of the eye and, left untreated, can spread across the whole retina and cause serious vision loss. In pneumatic retinopexy a gas bubble is injected into the eye to push the detached retina back into place against the eye wall, allowing it to reattach. It is used alongside two other retinal detachment procedures, vitrectomy, in which the vitreous gel is removed and replaced with gas or silicone oil, and scleral buckle surgery, in which silicone bands are placed around the outer wall of the eye to help the retina reattach.