Walking during the after surgery period is allowed and encouraged for its health benefits this is done by looking vertically downwards when walking, whilst trying to keep your head up as upright as possible.
One tip to help you avoid this is to place pillows behind you, or even to pin a tennis ball in a sock behind your back to prevent you from rolling onto your back during sleep.
It is recommended to sleep on either side or even your front, but not sleep on your back as that would make the bubble move away from the macular hole. I usually request that posturing is done for 50 minutes out of every hour for five days whilst you’re awake.įace down (“eyes down”) posturing is only required during waking hours, not when you’re sleeping. This is known as face-down posturing, but I prefer the term “eyes-down” as this gets the eyes pointing in the correct direction and does not mean that you have to strain your neck by bending your head down all the way forwards. One of the easiest ways in which to do this is to tilt your head slightly forwards and look straight down to towards the floor. The only way to get the gas bubble to press against the macula is to look vertically down towards the floor. If you remain upright, this gas bubble won’t fully press against the macular hole at the back of your eye and the macular hole may not close. This gas forms a bubble in your eye and floats upwards, similar to a bubble in a carbonated drink. If you have had a macular hole surgery, the area being treated is at the back of the eye. For conditions such as retinal detachment or macular hole the eye is completely filled with air, which is then replaced with a gas its purpose is to press against the area that is being treated. This posturing of the head can involve both waking hours, as well as sleeping positions, and how a patient is required to posture is dependent upon the condition being treated.Īt the end of a vitrectomy operation, the eye is partially filled with air. ‘Posturing’ refers to after surgery care that involves a patient keeping their head in a specific position to aid the success of their operation. What is posturing and why is it necessary? Following the surgery, the eye is either filled with an air or gas bubble, and this is dependent upon the condition being treated. This can include conditions such as epiretinal membrane (macular pucker), macular hole and retinal detachment. vitreomacular traction.Īt other times, a vitrectomy is done as part of an operation to access areas of the retina that require treatment. In some circumstances, the vitreous is removed in order to treat the condition itself, such as when there are abnormal attachments of the vitreous to the retina e.g. Between the lens and the retina, the back part of the eye is filled vitreous humour, which is transparent and gel like in consistency.Ī vitrectomy procedure involves removing the vitreous through surgery, and this is done for a number of reasons. The eye works similarly to a camera, where light passes through a lens at the front of the eye, which then focusses onto the ‘film’ (or retina) at the back.
Good organisation and planning, as well as strategies to address any potential issues, is essential prior to having vitrectomy surgery with posturing. ‘Posturing’ is sometimes required following vitrectomy surgery, and can cause significant disruption to both a patient’s daily activities, as well as challenges to comfort. Whilst this experience is true for most eye surgeries, there are some eye conditions that require specific post-operative care to help ensure a successful outcome. This irritation gradually improves during the post-operative period and, importantly, with no expectation of worsening pain or discomfort at any stage following the surgery. Local anaesthetic ensures that there is no pain experienced through the course of the operation, whilst a slight eye ache and mild eye surface irritation (similar to the sensation of having something in your eye) is common afterwards. Modern eye surgery is in most cases a painless procedure, with discomfort generally minimised both during and after the operation.
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