Dr. Claudio A. Ferreira Specializes in Retina, Vitreous & Diabetic Eye Disease

The latest technology for retinal surgery is being offered at the Greater New Bedford Surgicenter. According to Dr. Claudio Ferreira, one of the retinal surgeons at EHVC, this new technology has been a great benefit for patients undergoing many types of retinal procedures. The new instrumentation for vitrectomy surgery enters through tiny incisions, one half the size of those used previously. The instruments used are much smaller than their predecessors, and are much more precise to handle the delicate tissues inside the eye. Since everything is minimized, there is less trauma to the tissues of the eye. In fact, the incisions are so tiny that they are self-sealing and do not require sutures. "This new technology represents a major advance in surgery of this type," says Dr. Ferreira. "This is much like when cataract surgeons shifted away from large incisions to small sutureless ones - it revolutionized their surgery. This trend to miniaturize surgery is being seen in many other surgical specialties as well."

The name for these procedures is called 25-gauge transconjunctival sutureless vitrectomy. Vitrectomy involves removing the jellylike substance inside the eye. It is followed by other procedures depending on the underlying problem. 25-gauge refers to the size of the incision, and transconjunctival means that the incisions are made directly through the clear coating that lines the eye, without removing it. Many retinal problems can be fixed using these techniques such as macular puckers (scar tissue on the retina), macular holes (holes in the center part of the retina), certain types of retinal detachments as well as problems relating to bleeding from diabetic eye disease.

The new technology has tremendous benefits for the patients having these procedures. Since there is less tissue manipulation and there is significantly less operating time, the eyes recover faster from the surgery and there are less complications. There is also significantly less post-operative discomfort. "Patients that have had vitrectomies in one eye the standard way and the other eye with 25-gauge are amazed at the difference, even in the post-operative appearance of the eye," says Dr. Ferreira. "I am truly impressed with the outcomes. As new instrumentation is constantly being adapted for this technology, there will be more and more applications suitable for 25-gauge surgery."