A retinal tear is a small break in the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye. Repairing it is a time-sensitive procedure meant to prevent a more serious retinal detachment. The total time commitment varies significantly based on the tear’s severity and location. Simple tears may require only minutes of active procedure time, while more complicated cases can extend the surgical duration into hours.
Duration of Simple Retinal Tear Repair
Simple retinal tears are typically repaired in the doctor’s office using minimally invasive techniques. Laser photocoagulation uses a targeted laser beam to create a microscopic scar around the tear. The actual application of the laser usually requires only five to twenty minutes of focused treatment. This process seals the tear by welding the retina back to the underlying tissue, preventing fluid from leaking beneath it.
An alternative method is cryopexy, which uses an intense cold probe applied to the outside of the eye wall over the tear location. The freezing action creates a therapeutic scar to secure the retina, similar to the laser method. The cryopexy procedure is also quick, often lasting less than 30 minutes, depending on the extent of the tears treated. Both laser and cryopexy are performed while the patient is awake, requiring only topical numbing drops or a local anesthetic injection.
Factors That Significantly Alter Procedure Length
If a retinal tear is large, numerous, difficult to access, or accompanied by a retinal detachment, treatment transitions to a more involved surgery. If the vitreous gel has already pulled the retina away from the back of the eye, the goal shifts from prevention to reattachment. This complexity requires an operating room setting and significantly extends the procedure time.
More complex surgeries, such as a vitrectomy or a scleral buckle, typically take between one and three hours. A vitrectomy involves removing the vitreous gel and injecting a gas or oil bubble to hold the retina in place while it heals. The scleral buckle procedure involves sewing a silicone band onto the outside of the eye to support the tear. These surgeries require deeper anesthesia and more time due to the delicate internal manipulation of the eye’s structure.
The Full Clinical Time Commitment
While the actual repair of a simple tear might only take 15 to 30 minutes, the total time spent at the facility is much longer. The clinical commitment involves necessary pre-operative and post-operative steps. Before the procedure, patients must check in, complete paperwork, and undergo a thorough eye dilation. The dilation alone can take approximately 20 to 30 minutes to become fully effective.
Additional time is spent administering numbing drops or a local anesthetic, which needs several minutes to take effect. Following the repair, patients enter a post-operative monitoring period in a recovery area. This recovery and discharge process, including receiving instructions and a final check from the physician, typically adds one to two hours to the overall visit. For most simple outpatient repairs, the total time from arrival to discharge is often between 2.5 and 4 hours.