Dr. João Rosendo

Ophthalmologist

Dr. Argílio Caldeirinha

Ophthalmologist

Vitrectomy
New Ophthalmology Surgery

HPA Magazine 7

The renovation of the Ophthalmology Department that began in 2016 has allowed for the expansion of its resources and services, offering new subspecialties such as Paediatric Ophthalmology, Oculoplastics, Medical Retina and Diabetes Eye Care, but also the introduction of new surgeries such as Vitrectomy. Besides the possibility of performing all of the surgeries of the anterior and posterior segments of the eye, the speciality was equally reinforced in its quality, distinction and technology of the complementary exams.

Vitrectomy is a surgery that removes part or all of the vitreous humour, a condition that arises in several pathological situations, the most common of which is a detached retina.
The vitreous is a gelatinous fluid mainly made up of water, which fills most of the eyeball, and whose function is to maintain the shape of the eye and is directly related to the retina. In turn, the retina is located in the interior of the eye and is responsible for the quality of vision, and receiving and sending images captured by the brain, through the optic nerve.
A detached retina consists of the separation of the neurosensory retina from the retinal pigment epithelium, a condition considered to be very serious and which can lead to blindness if not treated in time. 
In a Vitrectomy, the vitreous gel is substituted by a saline solution and this procedure occurs in association with several situations, the most common being:
The HPA Health Group’s first vitrectomy of was performed on a Dutch patient at the beginning of November. Adrienne Henriette van Wijk came to the Hospital de Alvor with a detached retina that had evolved over a 15-day period; she had total vision loss in the left eye. She was operated on in less than 24 hours, by Dr. Argílio Caldeirinha and Dr. João Rosendo.
As Dr. Argilio Caldeirinha explains, the procedure was performed with ocular microsurgical techniques, consisting of the elimination of the vitreous gel of the posterior segment, followed by the suction of the sub-retinal liquid that kept the retinal layers separate. Lastly, the tear that had originally caused the detachment of the retina was repaired with an endolaser. The patient was extremely satisfied with the reestablishment of her her vision and 3 weeks after the surgery, she returned safely to her home country.
 

According to Dr. Jorge Correia, the Director of the Ophthalmology Department, the Hospital Particular do Algarve relies on some of the most advanced equipment to perform this surgery, in addition to a state-of-the-art microscope with incredible resolution qualities that also incorporates an image recording system. This investment is associated with an important, parallel reinforcement in the area of human resources, positioning the ophthalmology of the HPA Health Group as one of the best services in southern Portugal.

> Treatment of retinal disorders: retinal detachment, proliferative vitreoretinopathy, pucker macular (scar tissue on the macula, central area of the retina); macular hole, among others;
> Floaters resulting from vitreous detachment; 
> Foreign bodies in the vitreous cavity;
> Vitreous haemorrhage (blood in the vitreous humor) which provokes hypovision;
> Complications from cataract surgery;
> Diabetic retinopathy;
> Glaucoma.