Small Gauge Pars Plana Vitrectomy

Although the history of ophthalmic surgery can be dated back thousands of years with operations to treat cataracts, surgery involving the vitreous cavity has only been reported for less than 50 years. The initial description of major vitreous surgery was introduced by David Kasner in 1969 (Kasner, 1969). He described excision removal of the vitreous using a sponge and scissors, under an open sky technique for removal of dense vitreous opacities secondary to amyloidosis. The major problems with this technique including the need for a corneal transplant, lack of control of intraocular pressure (IOP) during surgery, and significant vitreous traction during removal, were addressed by the development of closed intraocular vitreous surgery.