Elshatory Retina Associates, PLLC

       Much like a cast immobilizes a limb and helps it heal, during retinal surgery, your surgeon may use an analogous immobilization/healing aid.  Surgery on the retina that requires removal of the vitreous gel (called a vitrectomy) sometimes requires placing a vitreous substitute that exerts a force on the retina to flatten the retina.  While the vitreous can be replaced with saline in cases where no such force is necessary, many retinal conditions such as retinal detachments and macular holes, require placing a gas mixture or oil in the eye.  This gas or oil makes the vision blurry, because light does not pass through the gas and oil the same way it does through vitreous gel or saline.  A retina specialist has special lenses that aid in focusing an image of their patient’s retina (on the specialist’s retina!) to assess the retina’s appearance and positioning.  Much like a cast for a broken bone prevents one from using a limb, these vitreous substitutes also limit function of the ey

     Central vision is critical for many daily activities ranging from reading to driving.  Clear vision requires light be focused on a transparent tissue in the back of the eye called the retina.   The retina has different regions, but the portion of the retina responsible for our central vision is known as the macula, and within the macula, the finest acuity is provided by a specialized portion known as the fovea.  The fovea is where light is focused in our eyes to allow us to see fine details in the world around us.  Diseases involving the fovea affect our ability to perform our day to day activities.  One such condition is macular hole formation.  Macular holes develop when the clear gel inside the eye (the vitreous) tugs abnormally on the retina. This tugging creates a hole.  In rare cases, macular holes can develop after injury to the eye. Most of the time, it occurs because some people are born with abnormal attachments between the vitreous and the retina.  As we age, the vitreo