Surgical Retina

What We Do

The Surgical Retina Department is led by Associate Professor Gavin Tan (Head and Senior Consultant).

The department treats common conditions such as retinal tears and detachments, advanced diabetic eye disease (including vitreous haemorrhage, retinal detachment [RD] and advanced fibroproliferative diabetic retinopathy), giant retinal tears (GRT), macular holes, macular puckers, vitreomacular traction, myopic foveoschisis, traumas and proliferative vitreoretinopathies (PVR).

Among the array of surgical procedures performed are endoscopic procedures, laser, paediatric surgical retina for retinopathy of prematurity and familial exudative vitreoretinopathy, pneumoretinopexy, scleral buckle and vitrectomies.

Surgical tools commonly used in the department include intraoperative lasers, microsurgical wide-field viewing equipment, various intraocular and post-operative tamponade agents, including heavy liquids, silicone oil and gases such as perfluoropropane.

Other surgical vitreoretinal capabilities include no-stitch 23 and 25 gauge (G) vitrectomy macular surgery, peeling of epiretinal membranes (ERM) and macular hole surgery. In addition, the department manages complex posterior segment trauma (including perforating eye surgeries with the use of temporary keratoprosthesis for complex anterior and posterior segment injuries).

Key facts and figures

• More than 1,000 vitreoretinal surgeries are performed annually by the department.

• One of the most commonly treated sight-threatening conditions is rhegmatogenous RD (RRD). Treatment options include scleral buckle, primary vitrectomy or combined buckle-vitrectomy. The department has achieved high success rates of 97.8% for RD surgery, as demonstrated in the 2014 clinical audit.

• Vitrectomy for diabetic eye disease accounts for a fair proportion of the department’s cases, including vitreous haemorrhage (39%) and traction RD (43%). From the clinicians’ experience, up to 91% of patients with traction RD achieve recovery of anatomy and vision.

• The department also handles a few cases of RD in osteo-odonto keratoprosthesis (also known as 'tooth-in-eye’ surgery) annually.

Breakthroughs in technology

Minimally invasive vitrectomy surgeries (23G and 25G) are routinely performed, with the recent introduction of the 27G. Wide-angle viewing systems such as the BIOM® lens systems mounted on Zeiss microscopes, Reinverting Operating Lens System with the MiniQuad® lenses and the Topcon Optical Fiber Free Intravitreal Surgery System microscope are used for enhanced surgical visualisation.

Together with new chandelier endoillumination, these systems allow advanced bimanual surgeries in challenging cases.