About Cryopexy
Cryopexy, an office procedure that involves cold therapy or freezing, is used to treat retinal tears as well as other macular conditions. Cryopexy stimulates scar formation, sealing the edges of the tear.Your Retina Consultants of Texas surgeon may combine cryopexy with other surgical and nonsurgical treatments according to your specific needs and personalized treatment plan.
Treatment Technique
On the day of your cryopexy procedure, you will be brought into a treatment area in our office where a local anesthetic will be placed into the affected eye to numb it. Once your eye is numb, very cold gasses (usually nitrous oxide) are pushed through a metal probe that is placed against the affected eye. These cold gasses irritate the tissue around the retinal tear. It may take multiple applications to treat the entire affected area. The irritated tissue then forms a scar that eventually seals the tear. This brings the retina back into contact with the tissue underneath it.
After Treatment
After a cryopexy, we will keep you comfortable in our post-op area for about an hour to monitor your eye. Once you have met the criteria for release, we will let you return home to recover. There should be very little pain or discomfort during the healing process. However, if post-operative pain is an issue, we will address it. Patients may experience swelling, redness, or blurry vision in the treated eye after a cryopexy. Recovery from cryopexy typically takes 10-14 days.
