Wedge-shaped light pipe aperture for pars plana vitrectomy.

摘要

Indications to pars plana vitrectomy have largely expanded, and today what was once considered heroic surgery is routinely performed. Nonetheless, bringing a bright, efficient, yet safe illumination to the posterior segment of the eye remains a challenge. The detection of semitransparent structures such as the vitreous, retinal membranes, heme, and the retina itself, in fact, entirely depends on their differential illuminance. Currently available light sources offer a variety of wavelengths and intensities, whereas light pipe aperture geometry is limited to the regular "straight" and the "bullet" variants. The former projects a narrower beam, yielding a more favorable "Tyndall effect," whereas the latter allows a wider illumination angle, ideal for panoramic viewing.