WHAT TO EXPECT
Retinal Surgery
First Process
- Retinal surgery is done in the day theatre complex.
- You will be given a specific time to arrive at the theatre reception.
- Once admitted, you will be accompanied to the ward where you will have drops placed in your eye.
- Most of the retinal surgery is done under local anaesthesia and sedation.
Second Process
- Retinal surgery takes on average 40-60 minutes, but complex cases can take up to 3 hours.
- During surgery, you will be sedated, but we try to keep patients awake to avoid any sudden movements.
- The eye will be anaesthetised, will have no pain sensation and will also not move.
Third Process
- After the surgery you will be taken to the recovery area, where you will often be expected to start positioning yourself in a very specific fashion – most commonly keeping your head down (nose pointing to the ground).
- After 30-60 minutes in recovery, you will be discharged home in the care of a friend or relative.
- Please note: you cannot drive on the day of operation, due to the sedation.
Fourth Process
- Post-operatively you will keep the eye patch and shield on your eye overnight and we will remove it on the first day post-operatively, in our consultation rooms.
- The eye is usually not painful post-op, although sometimes scratchy.
- On the first day of surgery the forehead, cheek and scalp will often be numb from the normal local anaesthesia.
- Any worsening redness or pain must be reported to our rooms immediately.
- It is very important in retinal surgery to comply with instructions on how to position your head post-operatively as this can impact the outcome of surgery – please make sure you understand and ask Dr Du Toit or the nursing staff, if you are unsure.
