Surgical Retina Care:
- If an operating room-based eye surgery is required, our surgical coordinator will assist you with scheduling and planning for all of the pre- and post-operative logistics.
- We typically recommend a pre-surgery general medical evaluation with your primary care physician and this may also include additional blood tests, electrocardiogram and/or chest X-ray to make sure that you are healthy enough for outpatient surgical anesthesia and treatment.
Night before Surgery
- Please do not eat or drink after midnight unless instructed to do so the night prior to your surgery. This is important to allow for safe administration of anesthesia.
Day of surgery
- Please be accompanied by a family member, friend or companion when traveling to your surgery. Since anesthesia will be administered and you will have undergone eye surgery and may require post-operative positioning, it is unsafe for you to travel or drive yourself home without assistance.
- Please do not remove the eye patch placed over the surgical eye unless instructed to do so by your physician.
- Most eye surgeries are performed under local anesthesia and we will work with the anesthesiologist to coordinate the safest and most comfortable way to perform successful surgery. General anesthesia is rarely required, but can be performed if indicated.
After surgery
- Follow-up as scheduled the following day with your eye physician who will removed your eye patch and examine you.
- It is very important to maintain your head position as instructed by your
physician to allow for successful repair of the retina.
- Face down positioning may be required
- Certain surgeries may require filling of the eye with a gas or oil bubble at the end of surgery. In order for the gas to float up against the area of damaged retina, certain head positions may be required to move the gas bubble to the proper locations. Oftentimes, a face down position is required and may be
necessary for the entire 24 hour period with three 30 minute breaks throughout the day; and may be required up to 10 days after surgery. Special equipment can be purchased or rented for face-down positioning and can be coordinated with our Surgical Coordinator.
- Please bring all of the drops that you will receive from the hospital.
- Please immediately call the office and notify your physician if you develop any abnormal changes in vision or severe pain during the immediate
postoperative period.
