The retina is very important to your sight. It provides the central vision you need to read, drive, and perform many activities. Located in the back of your eye, the retina senses light and sends images to your brain. Many conditions – from aging to injuries, diabetes to premature birth – interfere with its ability to process light. The recognized retinal leaders at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, part of the University of Miami Health System, have decades of experience correcting retinal conditions.

Bascom Palmer’s Vitreoretinal Milestones

• Trained the first generation of vitreoretinal eye surgeons.
• Invented surgical instruments and performed the first successful vitreous surgery.
• Established the clinical value of the vitrectomy to treat retinal disorders.
• Our research led to effective treatments for retinopathy of prematurity.
• Pioneered fluorescein angiography for diagnosing macular and retinal diseases.

Understanding Vitreoretinal Surgery

Bascom Palmer’s award-winning surgeons restore, preserve, and enhance vision with vitreoretinal surgery. This advanced procedure is performed in the part of your eye where your vitreous and retina are located. The vitreous is a jelly-like substance filling the cavity between the lens of your eye and your retina.

When a foreign matter such as blood gets behind the lens of your eye, vitreoretinal surgery can correct the problem. Conditions that benefit from this surgery include:

• Diabetic retinopathy
• Floaters and flashes
• Macular degeneration
• Macular holes
• Retinal detachments or tears
• Retinitis pigmentosa
• Retinal vein occlusion
• Retinopathy of prematurity
• Retinoblastoma

Tests

Comprehensive Eye Exam - A thorough examination helps decide if you can have surgery. During your exam, your pupils are dilated with special eye drops. Next, a retinal surgeon uses an ophthalmoscope’s bright light and special lens to study your retina and other structures inside your eye.

Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) - If needed, your surgeon may order an OCT test. This imaging method produces a cross-sectional, three-dimensional (3-D) view of the inside of your eye.

Treatments

Vitreoretinal Surgery - Depending on your eye condition, vitreoretinal surgery may use different methods. After you receive local or general anesthesia, your surgeon makes three tiny incisions in your eye. These openings allow the surgeon to use miniature surgical instruments to perform your surgery. After this surgery, your sight is either restored or significantly improved. Most patients use antibiotic eye drops for one week and anti-inflammatory eye drops for several weeks after surgery. Your other medical conditions may affect how long it takes your eyes to heal and your vision after surgery.

Why Choose Bascom Palmer Eye Institute?

The Nation’s Eye Care Leader. If you need surgery to protect your vision, you want the very best care. U.S. News & World Report ranks Bascom Palmer Number One in America for ophthalmology.

Distinguished Leaders. Internationally recognized for their contributions, our physicians and researchers have revolutionized ophthalmologists’ understanding and management of eye diseases and disorders.

Comprehensive Care. Our eye care professionals represent every ophthalmic sub-specialty. All the care you need for multiple eye conditions, from diagnosis to treatment, is under one roof.

Cutting-edge Research. More than 50 years of research breakthroughs translates into cutting-edge care, state-of-the-art treatments and access to clinical trials.

Ophthalmology Surgical Suites. Between our five patient care centers, we perform 18,000 surgeries yearly and provide 24-hour emergency care on our Miami campus. Our surgical suites were designed for eye surgery and our surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, and operating room technicians are trained to care for eye surgery patients.