Closed-system intra-ocular surgery: the first six years in Auckland

The advent of the combined infusion-suction-cutting and illuminating instruments has opened up new possibilities in intra-ocular surgery. Tissue can now be removed from the interior of the eye through small water-tight incisions, with maintenance of the normal ocular pressure during surgery. In the posterior segment of the eye, opaque vitreous can be removed and replaced. In the anterior segment, opacities such as complicated cataracts and fibrous membranes can be removed. We have used this new instrumentation on 81 eyes with a successful outcome in 49 (60 percent).