pneumatic retinopexy

This is a procedure used to repair a retinal detachment using a gas bubble. With a retinal detachment, the retina peels off the back of the eye like wallpaper peeling off a wall.  To help reapproximate the retina into its normal position, a gas bubble can be injected into the eye. This pushes the retina back in place, holding it down and allowing retinal breaks/holes to be sealed with laser or cryotherapy (cold probe).  The benefit to a pneumatic treatment is that it can be performed in the retina specialist’s office without requiring surgery.  The downside is that this procedure only works if the retina tear is small and located at the top of the eye (because gas bubbles float upwards).  Also, the pneumatic retinopexy doesn’t always work, and may still require additional retinal surgeries such as vitrectomy or scleral buckle procedure.