Vitrectomy surgery believed to benefit diabetic patients

Used for years to treat many eye conditions, vitrectomy may also provide added benefits to certain diabetic patients.

According to Hilel Lewis, MD, professor and chairman of the division of ophthalmology, and director of the Cole Eye Institute, Cleveland, Ohio, there is now evidence that vitrectomy surgery could be used to treat diabetic macular edema.

Vitrectomy (surgical removal of the vitreous, the gel-like substance that fills the center of the eye) has been used for years to clear blood and debris from the eye or to alleviate traction on the retina. Now, there is scientific evidence that vitrectomy can be beneficial in resolving macular edema (swelling) caused by the complications of diabetic retinopathy.

Diabetic retinopathy is the most common cause of decreased vision because it creates edema in the macula. Surgeons now believe that the vitreous could be guilty of exacerbating this edema by causing traction, or pulling on the macula which results in a shallow "detachment" of the macula. Since the vitrectomy resolves this traction by re-attaching the macula, vitrectomy should be considered in patients with this condition.

Ref: Ophthalmology Times, December 2001