Vitrectomy Retinal Oxygenation

Overview

Vitrectomy is the common treatment for patients with macular edema secondary to epiretinal membrane. Recently, in eyes with diabetic macular edema or persistent macular edema following retinal vein occlusion, vitrectomy will be increasingly performed as an additional treatment modality. In eyes with impaired oxygen situation vitrectomy may improve the retinal oxygen saturation. However, little information is available about the oxygenation and the blood flow of the retinal vessels after vitroretinal surgery. Hypoxia is a the major trigger of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which is in turn the most important factor for the development of macular edema. It is a major issue to improve the oxygen situation and the blood flow of the retina and there are just a few not satisfactory procedures available to overcome this problem. However, vitrectomy would be an adequate therapy for many of these diseases, and it would be an appreciated side effect of the treatment in almost every case. To investigate the influence of oxygenation and blood flow of the retina on clinical outcomes after a successfully 23 gauge vitrectomy in eyes with epiretinal membrane, persistent macular edema following diabetic retinopathy or retinal vein occlusion.

Conditions

Eligibility