How Long Does Air Bubble Put During Retinal Tear Surgery Take To Disappear?

Posted on Thu, 7 Aug 2014

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Thu, 7 Aug 2014 Answered on

Tue, 2 Sep 2014 Last reviewed on

Question : My husband had a vitrectomy for a retinal tear on monday. A gas bubble was used and on day 3 a foam pillow hit my husband's injured eye and now he says the bubble is smaller than before. i called the surgery center and the nurse assured me that everything was okay. I know the bubble was to last 7-10 days. Does he need to be concerned?

Answered by Dr. Dadapeer K (27 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
No need to worry.

Detailed Answer:
Hello
Welcome to Health care magic.

I am Dr. Dadapeer K, an ophthalmologist and I answer health problems related to eye.

It seems from the history that your husband has underwent surgery for a retinal tear. Air bubble is put at the end of surgery to maintain retina attached. This will disappear slowly over 1-2 weeks.

Since the injury does not seem to be serious no need to worry. If he is having symptoms of pain, redness, dimunition of vision... you need to consult your doctor for examination.
If he is fine you can wait and attend follow up as advised before.

Hope the information is helpful to you.

Thank you
With regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Bhagyalaxmi Nalaparaju