Recent advances and history of vitreous surgery

Abstract

There have been tremendous advances in the small-gauge pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) systems. This review provides an overview of the recent advances and state of the art of vitreous surgery. The two most innovative advancements that have been developed in this area are the small-gauge cutter and the new illuminating systems. Compared to the traditional 20-gauge PPV, transconjunctival sutureless small-gauge PPV is a safe and effective strategy to treat a variety of vitreoretinal diseases. Chandelier illumination allows better visualisation of vitreous for bimanual surgery. The small-gauge PPV provides benefits in terms of less inflammation, less patient discomfort, and faster recovery of the visual acuity.