September 2026 - Armadale Eye Clinic

Retinal Tear Surgery: What It Involves And What To Expect

September 25, 2026/0 Comments/in Retinal Surgery /by The Armadale Eye Clinic Team

Seeing sudden floaters, flashes of light or a dark shadow in your side vision can be a sign that the retina has torn. The retina is a thin layer at the back of the eye that helps you see.

A retinal tear is not the same as a retinal detachment. But a tear can turn into a detachment, and that can happen quickly. This is why these symptoms are checked the same day, often during an eye exam.

Quick Overview

Retinal tear surgery is usually a short treatment in a clinic, not a big operation. Which one is used depends on where the tear sits.
It may be needed if you suddenly notice floaters, flashes of light or a shadow in your peripheral vision, and an eye doctor finds a tear.
The goal is to seal the tear so fluid cannot get behind the retina. It does not bring back lost vision or clear away floaters.
How a tear behaves afterwards depends on several factors, such as its size, type and position.
Your symptoms and what the eye doctor sees during the exam usually guide what happens next.

Below, we explain what each treatment involves, what recovery is like, and when to get your eyes checked.

What Is A Retinal Tear?

The retina is a thin layer of tissue that lines the back of the eye. It senses light and sends pictures to your brain.

The middle of your eye is filled with a clear jelly called the vitreous gel. As we get older, this gel shrinks and pulls away from the retina. Most of the time nothing happens. Sometimes it pulls hard enough to make a small tear in the retina.

A tear matters because fluid can pass through it. If fluid gets behind the retina, it lifts the retina away from the underlying tissue. That is a retinal detachment, and it can cause permanent vision loss.

What Is Retinal Tear Surgery?

checking vision acuity The word surgery sounds bigger than it is. To treat retinal tears, an eye surgeon usually does a short procedure in a clinic room. You go home the same day.

The aim is to create scar tissue around the tear. Scar tissue acts like glue and holds the retina to the layer underneath. Fluid then cannot get behind it.

There are two main treatment options.

Laser Photocoagulation (Laser Surgery)

Drops numb the eye. A special lens is placed on the front of the eye. The laser emits a beam of light through the lens, and that laser beam makes small burns in a ring around the tear. These burns heal into scar tissue.

The procedure usually takes 10 to 20 minutes. You will see bright light the whole time. Most patients say it feels uncomfortable rather than sore, but this is different for everyone. It can be more uncomfortable when the tear sits near the far edge of the retina.

Cryotherapy (Freezing)

Here, a cold probe is placed on the outside of the eye, over the tear. The freezing makes the same kind of scar tissue.

Freezing is often chosen when a tear is too far forward for the laser to reach, or when bleeding or cloudiness blocks the laser beam. It usually needs a stronger local anaesthetic than drops alone. You may be given an eye patch to wear for a short time afterwards.

Neither treatment clears away floaters, and neither brings back lost vision. The point is to preserve the vision you still have by stopping the tear from getting worse. Both are generally safe, but no procedure is completely free of potential risks, and your eye doctor will talk these through with you.

At Armadale Eye Clinic, our eye doctors check each tear with a dilated eye exam before talking about whether treatment is right for you.

What Are The Risk Factors For A Retinal Tear?

Multiple factors can raise your chance of a retinal tear:

Being short-sighted. A more short-sighted eye often has a thinner retina at the edges.
Eye trauma. A knock to the eye can tear the retina at any age.
Past cataract surgery. This is linked with a higher long-term risk of detachment.
Family history. A retinal detachment in a close relative raises your risk.
A tear or detachment before. If one eye has had a detachment, the other eye is at higher risk too.
Lattice degeneration. This is thinning at the edge of the retina, and it is often found alongside tears.

Various factors also change how a tear is treated. These include the size and type of the tear, where it sits, and how soon it is found. Small round holes without pulling are sometimes just watched instead of treated. Because several factors work together, two people with similar tears may be given different advice.

What Happens If A Retinal Tear Is Not Treated?

Fluid can pass through the tear and lift the retina off the underlying tissue. This is a retinal detachment. Left alone, it can cause permanent vision loss in that eye.

This is why sudden flashes of light, a burst of new floaters, reduced vision or a shadow across your peripheral vision should be checked the same day.

How Is A Retinal Detachment Repaired?

Once the retina has lifted, laser alone is not enough. Retinal detachment repair usually happens in an operating theatre. There are three main ways to do it, and they are sometimes used together.

Pneumatic Retinopexy

A gas bubble is placed inside the eye. The bubble presses the retina back against the wall of the eye. Laser or freezing then seals the tear. You need to hold your head in a set position for a few days so the bubble stays over the tear. You also cannot fly until the bubble has gone.

Scleral Buckle

A soft silicone band is placed around the outside of the eye. It gently presses the wall of the eye inwards. This takes the pulling pressure off the retina.

Vitrectomy

The vitreous gel is removed and replaced. It may be replaced with gas, which the body absorbs over a few weeks, or with silicone oil in harder cases. Silicone oil is usually taken out later in a second procedure.

Which one suits you depends on where the tears are and whether you have had cataract surgery before. It is also worth knowing that putting the retina back in place and getting vision back are two different things. How much vision returns depends a lot on whether the centre of the retina was affected, and for how long.

Recovering After Laser Surgery Or Freezing

Recovery is usually simple, but the first couple of weeks matter:

Your vision will be blurry for a few hours while the drops wear off. Arrange a lift home instead of driving.
Use any eye drops exactly as directed. Some reduce inflammation, and others prevent infection.
Avoid strenuous activities, heavy lifting and contact sports for as long as your eye doctor says. This is often one to two weeks.
Follow the specific instructions you are given. They are based on your eye, not a general rule.
Go to all your follow-up appointments. The seal takes a few days to start forming and keeps getting stronger over the following weeks. New tears can also appear somewhere else.
Tell your eye doctor straight away about new floaters, new flashes of light, a curtain across your side vision, reduced vision or severe pain.

Australian guidance is that sudden flashes or floaters with any loss of side vision should be seen by an eye specialist the same day. If you have had a tear in one eye, ask how often your other eye should be checked.

Looking After Your Eye Health

discussing eye issue with doctor A retinal tear is not something to wait out. Getting it looked at early gives you the best chance to protect your eye health and keep the vision you have.

Treatment cannot remove every risk of a later detachment, and it cannot bring back vision you have already lost. What it can do is seal the tear before fluid gets behind it.

If you have noticed new floaters, flashes of light or any change in your vision, please contact Armadale Eye Clinic on (03) 9070 5753 Armadale Eye Clinic to book an eye exam.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does retinal tear surgery hurt?

Laser surgery and freezing are both done using local anaesthesia, and people describe it differently. Some find it only a little uncomfortable. Others find it sore, especially when the tear is near the far edge of the retina. A dull ache or headache for a day afterwards is common, particularly after freezing. Tell your eye doctor if you have severe pain, because that is not normal.

How long does it take to recover?

Your vision is blurry for a few hours while the drops wear off. Most people are back to normal activities within a day or two. Strenuous activities are usually put on hold for one to two weeks.

Can a retinal tear heal by itself?

Sometimes. Small round holes with no pulling on them are often just watched. But a tear that is causing symptoms is unlikely to seal on its own, and research shows a good number of these go on to become detachments.

Will I still see floaters afterwards?

Usually, yes. The treatment seals the tear. It does not touch the vitreous gel that is causing the floaters. Floaters often become less noticeable over weeks or months. A sudden increase should always be reported.

What are the potential risks and complications?

Laser and freezing are generally safe. Possible complications include swelling, a small amount of bleeding, infection, or a new tear forming elsewhere. Your eye surgeon will explain the risks that apply to you before you agree to treatment.

References

Kahawita S, Simon S, Gilhotra J. Flashes and floaters: a practical approach to assessment and management. Australian Family Physician. 2014;43(4):201-203. https://www.racgp.org.au/afp/2014/april/flashes-and-floaters
Russell JF, Smiddy WE, Flynn HW Jr. Retinal breaks: clinical course and outcomes after retinopexy. Retinal Physician. November 2017. https://www.retinalphysician.com/issues/2017/novdev/retinal-breaks-clinical-course-and-outcomes-after-retinopexy/
Nixon TRW, Davie RL, Snead MP. Posterior vitreous detachment and retinal tear: a prospective study of community referrals. Eye. 2024;38(4):786-791. doi:10.1038/s41433-023-02779-3. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41433-023-02779-3
Ryan EH, Ryan CM, Forbes NJ, et al. Primary Retinal Detachment Outcomes Study Report Number 2: phakic retinal detachment outcomes. Ophthalmology. 2020;127(8):1077-1085. doi:10.1016/j.ophtha.2020.03.007

Macular Hole Surgery Recovery: What to Expect Week by Week

September 17, 2026/0 Comments/in Armadale Eye Blogs /by The Armadale Eye Clinic Team

Macular hole surgery recovery takes longer than most eye procedures, because the healing happens behind a gas bubble you cannot see through. Knowing what each stage looks like makes the weeks ahead easier to plan around.

A macular hole is a small break at the centre of the retina, in the area you rely on for central vision and fine detail. Closing it takes surgery to repair the retina, followed by a recovery period measured in weeks and months rather than days. Here is what happens inside the eye afterwards, how long posturing lasts, the way your sight shifts as the bubble shrinks, and the changes worth telling us about.

Quick Overview

A macular hole operation removes the vitreous jelly, lifts a fine membrane off the retinal surface and leaves a gas bubble inside the eye to hold the hole closed.
Sight in the operated eye stays blurred while the bubble is present, then sharpens gradually once the gas is fully absorbed and replaced by the natural fluid your eye makes.
Face-down posturing is needed in some cases for part of the first week, and the length of the posturing period depends on the size of the hole and your surgeon’s instruction.
Flying is not possible until the gas has cleared, and a cataract commonly forms in the months after vitrectomy surgery.

Every recovery runs at its own pace, so the timeline we set out at your post-operative visits is the one to work to.

What Is Healing Inside Your Eye After Macular Hole Surgery

Macular hole repair does not close the hole directly. Your surgeon removes the vitreous jelly, peels the inner limiting membrane away from the macula to release the pull on the retina, then fills the eye with gas. The bubble holds the edges of the hole together while your own retinal cells bridge the gap.

That is why healing is measured in weeks. Cells move slowly, and the bubble has to stay in contact with the macula long enough for the gap to seal.

Most macular holes are repaired under a local anaesthetic. More than nine in ten holes close after one operation, although how much detail returns varies with the size of the hole and how long it was open before surgery.

Face Down Posturing and How Long the Posturing Period Lasts

Face down posturing means holding your head so the bubble floats upwards against the macula. Where it is needed, it usually runs for the first few days after surgery, and the exact length depends on the size of the hole. Follow the instructions your surgeon gives you.

You do not have to lie flat. Sitting at a table with your forehead resting on your arms holds the correct position, and so does lying on your side with pillows stacked on either side of you. Posturing chairs can be hired, and it is worth arranging one before your operation rather than after.

Plan the week before you come in. Prepare meals, clear trip hazards, and set a tablet low on a stand, which is easier than trying to watch TV with your head down.

Posturing is decided case by case, because the evidence on posturing is limited and it is most often needed for larger holes. Follow the instructions your surgeon gives you.

What Your Vision Will Be Like During Recovery

macular degeneration vision without glasses Your sight in the operated eye will be blurred at first. The bubble sits across your line of view, and you may see a dark, wobbling edge that sinks lower each week as the gas shrinks. While the bubble is present, it blurs vision for several weeks and interferes with driving and work. The gas is commonly fully absorbed within about four to eight weeks, depending on which type was used, and the space then fills with the natural fluid your eye produces.

Details come back slowly after that. In the early stages of a macular hole, straight lines look bent and small text breaks up, and that distorted vision usually settles before sharpness does. Trouble reading small print can persist for months while the retina reorganises, and improvement continues well past the point the bubble disappears.

Your peripheral vision is not involved. Side vision stays as it was throughout, and the unoperated eye carries most of what you do day to day.

What You Can and Cannot Do During the Recovery Period

Rest for the first few days. Swimming and heavy lifting wait until your surgeon confirms the eye is ready, and gentle movement around the house is fine in the meantime.

Use your drops exactly as prescribed. They reduce inflammation and help prevent infection, and the course continues even once the eye feels comfortable.

Do not drive while the bubble blocks your central vision. Your surgeon will tell you when the eye meets the standard again.

Two restrictions apply for as long as gas is in the eye. Do not fly, and do not travel to high altitude, until your surgeon confirms the gas has gone. If any other procedure comes up in the meantime, tell us first, because a general anaesthetic has to be planned around the bubble.

Cataract, Eye Pressure and the Changes Worth Reporting

Two changes are common after this operation. Eye pressure can rise in the first weeks, which is why it is measured at every review, and a sustained rise is treated promptly because pressure left high can damage the optic nerve.

A cataract is the second. Vitrectomy surgery speeds up clouding of the lens, so cataract extraction is frequently the next step once the hole has closed and your sight has settled. Cataract surgery is done when the cloudiness starts to affect what you can see, and it is a planned step in your care.

Retinal detachment is one of the less common complications your surgeon will have discussed with you beforehand, and it is worth knowing its warning signs. Contact us promptly if you notice new flashes of light, a sudden shower of floaters, or a curtain or shadow moving across your side vision.

Tell us as well about pain that worsens rather than eases, spreading redness, or sight that clearly drops after it has been improving. None of these automatically means something is wrong, and all of them are simpler to deal with early.

Talk to Armadale Eye Clinic About Your Macular Hole Recovery

A macular hole sits in the exact part of the retina you use for reading, recognising faces and driving, and the weeks after the operation are when that detail slowly returns. Our vitreoretinal surgeons perform macular hole surgery at Armadale Eye Clinic in Melbourne, and we provide the consultations and follow-up care that go with it. We also provide cataract surgery, which many patients go on to need after a vitrectomy. If you are preparing for surgery, or you are partway through recovery and something does not seem right, please call us on (03) 9070 5753.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long will I need off work after macular hole surgery?

Time off depends on the posturing advice you are given and on what your job involves, so there is no single answer. Because the operated eye contributes very little while the gas is present, depth perception is reduced even for close work at a desk. Ask your surgeon for a timeframe based on your role before you book leave, and allow more than you think you need if posturing is required.

Is macular hole surgery uncomfortable afterwards?

The eye usually feels gritty, watery and mildly sore for the first few days. Check with your surgeon about what pain relief is suitable for you rather than reaching for whatever is in the cupboard. Holding a posturing position can also make your neck and back ache, which is separate from the eye itself.

What happens if the macular hole does not close after the first operation?

Scans taken once the gas clears show whether the hole has sealed. Where it has not, a second operation can sometimes be offered, and your surgeon will talk through whether that is appropriate for your eye. The size of the hole, how long it was open, and the vision in your other eye all come into that conversation.

Will my glasses prescription change after macular hole surgery?

It often does, and it is normal to wait until the eye has settled before updating lenses. New glasses are usually deferred until the gas has gone and any cataract procedure is complete, because the prescription keeps shifting until then. Your existing glasses are still worth wearing for the unoperated eye in the meantime.

Do I need someone at home with me after macular hole surgery?

Yes, for the first day at least, and ideally for longer if posturing has been advised. You will need someone to collect you on the day, and with one eye seeing very little, cooking, stairs and pouring hot drinks all become harder than expected. If you live alone, arrange help before the operation rather than trying to sort it out afterwards.

Any surgical or invasive procedure carries risks. Before proceeding, you should seek a second opinion from an appropriately qualified health practitioner.

References

https://www.mdfoundation.com.au/about-macular-disease/other-macular-conditions/macular-hole/

https://www.health.qld.gov.au/cpc/ophthalmology/macular-hole