Floater vitrectomy recovery: What to expect after surgery

Floater vitrectomy is normally performed as day-case surgery.

Once the operation is complete, you will be taken to a recovery area where the clinical team can make sure you are recovering appropriately.

Your eye may initially be covered with a protective pad or shield.

Before you leave, you will receive instructions about:

• Eye drops
• Looking after the operated eye
• Activities you should temporarily avoid
• Follow-up appointments
• Symptoms that should prompt you to contact the clinical team

You should arrange for somebody to take you home.

You will not be able to drive yourself immediately after surgery.

Your vision is likely to be blurred immediately after surgery.

This does not mean that treatment has been unsuccessful.

Several factors can temporarily affect vision in the early recovery period, including:

• The effects of the operation itself
• Dilating eye drops
• Early postoperative inflammation
• An air bubble, if one has been used
• The eye simply needing time to settle

For straightforward floater vitrectomy, Sapphire consultant vitreoretinal surgeon Andy Luff explains that vision may remain blurred for around a week while an air bubble is absorbed, with some patients approaching their usual level of vision by around the end of that first week.

This should be treated as a useful guide rather than a guaranteed recovery timetable.

Every eye heals differently.

Blurred vision after surgery can have several causes.

An air bubble

A small air bubble may be left inside the eye at the end of surgery.

Until it has been absorbed, it can interfere with what you see.

Dilating eye drops

Your pupil may have been dilated for surgery.

This can temporarily affect focus and increase sensitivity to light.

Early healing

The eye has undergone surgery and needs time to settle.

Temporary inflammation can affect the clarity of vision during the early recovery period.

Other eye conditions

Not every visual problem is necessarily caused by floaters.

Conditions such as cataract may also affect how clearly you see, particularly in an eye that still has its natural lens.

This is one reason a detailed assessment before surgery is important.

A small air bubble may be used during straightforward floater vitrectomy.

This is important because patients researching vitrectomy online often find information about long-lasting gas bubbles and prolonged recovery.

Those instructions may relate to surgery for other retinal conditions.

For example, operations for retinal detachment or macular hole may require a different type of gas bubble that remains in the eye for substantially longer.

Straightforward surgery for symptomatic vitreous floaters may involve a shorter-lasting air bubble.

Your surgeon will tell you:

• Whether a bubble is being used
• What type of bubble it is
• How long it is expected to remain
• How it may affect your vision
• Whether it places any temporary restrictions on your activities

Your own postoperative instructions should always take priority over generic information about vitrectomy recovery.

Patients can sometimes notice the edge of the bubble within their field of vision.

It may appear as a moving line or boundary and gradually become smaller as the bubble is absorbed.

Vision can also appear blurred or distorted while the bubble remains.

The exact experience varies between patients.

As the bubble reduces, more of the visual field becomes clear.

For straightforward floater vitrectomy, a small air bubble may affect vision for around a week.

The exact duration varies.

Different types of bubbles remain inside the eye for different periods, so advice written for one vitreoretinal procedure should not automatically be applied to another.

If your surgery requires a different type of gas, your surgeon will explain how long it is expected to remain.

During the first few days, the eye may feel different from normal.

Some patients experience:

• Mild grittiness
• Irritation
• Slight soreness
• Redness
• Watering
• Temporary sensitivity to light

These symptoms should improve as the eye heals.

Significant or increasing pain is different and should be reported to the clinical team.

You will normally be prescribed postoperative eye drops.

Depending on your individual treatment, these may be used to:

• Reduce inflammation
• Help prevent infection
• Manage eye pressure where required

Use your medication exactly as instructed.

Do not stop your drops early because the eye feels better unless your clinical team has told you to do so.

If you are unsure whether you have used a drop correctly or have missed a dose, contact the team for advice rather than changing your treatment yourself.

Reading does not damage the operated eye.

However, it may initially be difficult or uncomfortable because vision is blurred.

You might therefore find that you naturally read less during the first few days.

As vision improves, you can gradually return to reading according to what feels comfortable unless your surgeon has given you different instructions.

Yes.

Watching television will not damage the operated eye.

You may find the image blurred or bright screens uncomfortable initially, particularly while an air bubble remains or your pupil is still dilated.

You can stop and rest whenever your eyes feel tired, but there is no need to avoid television because you are worried that using the eye will interfere with healing.

Computer use does not damage the operated eye.

However, many people considering floater surgery are heavy screen users, and this can make the early visual recovery particularly noticeable.

During the first few days you may experience:

• Blurred text
• Difficulty focusing
• Sensitivity to bright screens
• Visual fatigue

Reduce the screen brightness if that feels more comfortable and take breaks when needed.

Your ability to return to prolonged computer work will depend more on how well you can see and how comfortable the eye feels than on the computer itself.

There is no single answer that applies to every occupation.

Someone working from home at a computer may be able to return sooner than someone whose job involves:

• Driving
• Operating machinery
• Heavy lifting
• Working at height
• Strenuous physical activity
• Dusty or dirty environments

Your return to work will also depend on:

• How quickly vision clears
• Whether an air bubble remains
• How comfortable the eye feels
• Whether your other eye provides good functional vision
• The type of work you do

If your work is visually demanding, it can be sensible to plan some flexibility around the first few days following surgery.

Your surgeon can advise you more specifically during your consultation.

Do not resume driving simply because a certain number of days has passed.

You need to be able to see well enough to drive safely and meet the legal eyesight requirements.

Factors affecting your return to driving include:

• Whether an air or gas bubble remains
• How clear your operated eye is
• The vision in your other eye
• Whether you are experiencing glare or blur
• How confident and comfortable you feel

Return to driving after straightforward floater vitrectomy is closely related to the bubble being absorbed and vision recovering.

Your consultant should advise you when driving is appropriate.

Light activity and strenuous exercise should be considered separately.

Walking and gentle activity

Gentle everyday activity may be possible relatively early in recovery.

You do not normally need to remain completely inactive after surgery.

Strenuous exercise

Running, intensive gym sessions and other vigorous exercise may need to wait while the eye heals.

Heavy lifting

Heavy lifting and activities involving significant straining may also be temporarily restricted.

Contact sports

Activities where the eye could be knocked or injured may require a longer break.

Your surgeon will advise you according to the procedure performed and how your eye is recovering.

Returning to the gym depends on what you intend to do.

A gentle walk on a treadmill is very different from:

• Heavy weight training
• High-intensity interval training
• Running
• Contact exercise
• Strenuous resistance work

The more physically demanding the activity, the more important it is to follow your surgeon’s advice about when it can safely be resumed.

Do not assume that feeling well enough to exercise means the eye has completely healed.

Normal everyday movement does not automatically need to stop after straightforward floater surgery.

However, advice can differ depending on the procedure performed and whether a bubble is present.

If your surgeon gives you specific instructions about bending, lifting or head position, follow those instructions.

Avoid applying restrictions from another type of retinal surgery to your own operation unless you have specifically been told to do so.

You can continue to keep yourself clean following surgery, but you should take care around the operated eye.

Avoid:

• Rubbing the eye
• Getting soap or shampoo directly into it
• Directing a strong shower jet at the eye

Your Sapphire team will provide specific instructions about eye care after surgery.

Take care to prevent shampoo or running water from entering the operated eye during the early healing period.

Tilting your head backwards rather than forwards may make this easier.

Follow the postoperative instructions provided by your clinical team.

Swimming should wait until the eye has healed sufficiently and your surgeon confirms it is safe.

Swimming pools, hot tubs, lakes and sea water can expose the healing eye to microorganisms and irritants.

This can increase the risk of infection or inflammation.

The timing will depend on your individual recovery rather than a single universal rule.

Do not fly while an air or gas bubble remains inside your eye.

This is one of the most important recovery precautions following vitrectomy.

Cabin pressure changes during a flight can cause the bubble inside the eye to expand.

This can cause a dangerous increase in pressure within the eye.

Once the bubble has been completely absorbed, flying may be possible again.

If you have a holiday, business trip or other flight planned around the time of your operation, tell your surgeon before treatment.

How long after vitrectomy can I fly?

There is no universal number of days.

It depends on:

• Whether a bubble has been used
• The type of bubble
• How quickly it is absorbed

A short-lived air bubble used during uncomplicated floater vitrectomy may disappear much sooner than gas used for some retinal procedures.

You should not fly until your surgeon confirms that the bubble has completely gone.

Travelling by car or train at ordinary ground level does not create the same cabin-pressure issue as flying.

You should not drive yourself immediately after surgery, but travelling as a passenger is possible.

Consider practical factors such as:

• Comfort
• Access to your postoperative medication
• Your follow-up appointments
• How easy it would be to contact Sapphire if you developed a concern

If a gas bubble is present and you are planning travel to high altitude, discuss this with your surgeon first.

If you have been told that a gas bubble remains inside your eye, make sure any doctor or anaesthetist treating you knows.

Certain anaesthetic gases can cause an intraocular gas bubble to expand and potentially create a dangerous rise in pressure.

Follow any warning card, wristband or other safety instructions provided by your clinical team.

Not necessarily.

Face-down positioning is commonly discussed online because it can be important after certain operations for macular holes or retinal detachments.

It is not automatically required after straightforward floater vitrectomy.

Your surgeon will tell you if a particular sleeping or head position is necessary.

If no special posturing has been prescribed, do not assume that advice written for another retinal operation applies to you.

Postoperative follow-up is an important part of your treatment.

Your consultant or clinical team may assess:

• Your vision
• How the eye is healing
• Eye pressure
• Retinal health
• Inflammation
• Your response to postoperative medication

Your follow-up schedule will depend on your individual treatment.

You should also know how to contact Sapphire if something concerns you before your scheduled appointment.

Some temporary symptoms can occur while the eye heals.

These may include:

• Blurred vision
• Mild redness
• Mild grittiness or irritation
• Visual Awareness of an air bubble
• Temporary light sensitivity
• Gradual rather than immediate visual improvement

Recovery should generally move in the right direction.

If something suddenly changes or feels significantly worse, contact the clinical team.

Your Sapphire team will explain the warning signs relevant to your surgery.

Contact them promptly if you develop symptoms such as:

• Severe or increasing eye pain
• Sudden deterioration in vision
• A new dark curtain or shadow in the field of vision
• A sudden increase in flashes or new floaters
• Markedly increasing redness
• Significant discharge
• Severe headache, nausea or other symptoms associated with worsening eye pain

It is better to ask the clinical team about an unexpected change than to wait because you assume it is part of normal recovery.

Straightforward floater-only vitrectomy can have a relatively quick early visual recovery compared with more complex vitreoretinal surgery.

After uncomplicated floater vitrectomy, vision may be approaching normal at around the end of the first week as a small air bubble is absorbed.

Some redness or irritation may remain.

However, this is not a guaranteed timetable.

Your recovery may be influenced by:

• Individual healing
• The type of bubble used
• Cataract
• Other eye conditions
• Whether anything additional was treated during surgery

Your surgeon will be able to give you a more personalised expectation.

The purpose of floater vitrectomy is to remove the vitreous containing the troublesome opacities.

However, you should not expect an instantly crystal-clear view immediately after surgery.

During the early recovery period you may notice:

• The air bubble
• Blur
• Light effects
• Temporary postoperative visual disturbances

It can therefore take time before you are able to properly judge how your vision feels without the original floaters.

The vitreous opacity being treated is removed during the operation.

However, the patient’s subjective experience of the result becomes clearer once:

• The air bubble has been absorbed
• Early inflammation settles
• Vision becomes clearer

It may therefore be more useful to judge the result after the initial recovery period rather than immediately after surgery.

Surgery day

You return home after postoperative checks. Vision is likely to be blurred and your eye may initially be covered with a protective pad or shield.

The first few days

Use your prescribed eye drops and follow the postoperative instructions provided by Sapphire. Mild redness or irritation may occur, and an air bubble may interfere with vision.

Around the first week

After straightforward floater vitrectomy, vision may improve considerably as the air bubble is absorbed. Some patients may be approaching their normal level of vision by around this stage, although recovery varies.

The following weeks

Your eye continues to settle. Return to activities such as strenuous exercise, swimming and unrestricted work should follow the advice of your surgeon.

This is a general guide only. Your individual postoperative instructions always take priority.