Q: I am 29 years old. I have a history of floaters and flashes in the eyes. I also have internal bleeding in the right eye. I have gone through Laser operation 5 times till now due to bleeding. Now I have developed double and blurred vision in my right eye. I have been advised to undergo vitrectomy + EL + FLA to stabilise the vision in right eye. I have only 50% vision in the right eye. I am afraid to undergo any further surgery. Please tell me more about vitrectomy. What are its side effects? Will my vision go down further after surgery? Will I be able to work on the computer after surgery? What precautions should I take to save my left eye from all this?

A:Although the diagnosis is not mentioned, it appears from the history that the patient has Eale’s disease. Recurrent bleeds or non resolving internal bleeds or if causing puckering or lifting of the central retina, generally require vitrectomy and removal. Vitrectomy is a major eye surgery & with modern microsurgical instrumentation, is considered to be very safe, although no surgery can be totally free of possible complications or side effects. Side effects can be very minimal to serve sight threatening infections. Any complication can lower your vision further. Recurrent bleeds are also a possibility. If everything goes uneventfully and the retina is healthy, one should gain from the surgery which is difficult to predict exactly. There is often a tendency to involve other eye in many patients. Regular periodic checkup to detect and early treatment is the key to save the other eye.