Vitrectomy is a surgery to remove some or all of the vitreous humor from the eye. Anterior vitrectomy entails removing small portions of the vitreous from the front structures of the eye - often because these are tangled in an intraocular lens or other structures. Pars plana vitrectomy is a general term for a group of operations accomplished in the deeper part of the eye, all of which involve removing some or all of the vitreous - the eye's clear internal jelly.
Originated by Robert Machemer[1] and facilitated by Thomas M. Aaberg, Sr in late 1969 and early 1970, the original purpose of vitrectomy was to remove clouded vitreous - usually containing blood. The success of these first procedures led to the development of techniques and instruments to remove clouding and also to peel scar tissue off the light sensitive lining of the eye - the retina - membranectomy, to provide space for materials injected in the eye to reattach the retina such as gases or liquid silicone, and to increase the efficacy of other surgical steps such as scleral buckle. An explosion of new instruments and surgical strategies through the 1970s and 1980s was spearheaded by surgeon/engineer Steve Charles, More recent advances have included smaller and more refined instruments for use in the eye, the injection of various medications at the time of surgery to manipulate a detached retina into its proper position and mark the location of tissue layers to allow their removal, and for long term protection against scar tissue formation. Additional surgical steps involved as part of modern vitrectomy surgeries may include: Membranectomy - removal of layers of unhealthy tissue from the retina with minute instruments such as forceps (tiny grasping tools), picks (miniature hooks), and visco-discection (separating layers or tissue with jets of fluid.
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