| The eyes are very sensitive. I cannot imagine | | | | pointing directly down. The benefit of this is that |
| anyone not cringing at the thought of eye | | | | the gas bubble floats upwards and presses against |
| surgery. Anyone who has experienced a | | | | the retina, ensuring that gentle pressure is applied |
| vitrectomy will have experienced what it is like to | | | | to the retina to aid recovery. The same head |
| have partial sight. So, vitrectomy recovery is | | | | rest can be adapted for use at night so that the |
| something which needs your very careful | | | | patient can sleep face down, ensuring that the |
| attention, if you want to achieve the best possible | | | | gas bubble is pressed against the retina overnight. |
| results from your eye surgery. | | | | This technique of head rest is known as |
| A vitrectomy is a procedure to remove the | | | | 'posturing'. The duration of this technique depends |
| vitreous from the eye. The vitreous is a | | | | on the advice of the surgeon, but could be |
| colourless gel-like substance which fills the space | | | | anything between five and fourteen days. After |
| behind the len of the eye, and is attached on all | | | | my surgery, I was told that I had to adopt this |
| sides to the wall of the eye, the lens and the | | | | posturing position all day every day, with only 10 |
| retina. | | | | minutes in each hour to stretch my legs etc. I |
| The vitreous must remain clear to maintain a | | | | was able to get by by listening to music and |
| clarity of vision, and if anything causes the | | | | listening to talking books during the day, but it |
| vitreous to lose clarity, then a vitrectomy can be | | | | was most problematical for me, at nighttime. |
| performed to remedy the situation and to try | | | | Sleeping on one's front may not pose problems |
| and improve the quality of vision for the patient. | | | | for everyone, especially with a head rest to keep |
| A vitrectomy can also be performed if any | | | | your head in the appropriate position. I however, |
| damage occurs to the retina, such as a | | | | suffer from discomfort in the small of my back, |
| detachment or a tear. In such cases it is common | | | | and lying in this position became excruciating after |
| for a gas bubble to be inserted into the eye. The | | | | an hour or so. The advice I received was to take |
| gas bubble will, over time, be absorbed into the | | | | pain killers, so that the posture could be held for |
| eye, but during the period of recovery from eye | | | | as long as was necessary to maintain the correct |
| surgery, it will, with correct head placement, act | | | | recovery position. |
| to press the retina back against the eye wall. This | | | | I overcame the problem largely through the use |
| is a critical part of vitrectomy recovery. | | | | of large numbers of pillows under my chest and |
| Many hospitals will provide a special head rest that | | | | midriff which had the effect of alleviating the |
| allows the patient to rest in a chair with the eyes | | | | pressure in the small of my back. |