Ophthalmology

Ingrid Kreissig has served as Professor and Chairman at University Tuebingen/Germany from 1979-2000; Adjunct Professor at University Mannheim, Heidelberg/Germany since 2001; Adjunct Professor at New York-Cornell Medical Center/USA since 1982. She has her specialization in Posterior Segment of the Eye: St. Gall/Switzerland; Bonn/Germany; New York Cornell Medical Centre/USA. Since 1991, she gave presented 130 Teaching Courses on Retinal and Vitreous Surgery, Diabetes, AMD. She has many Publications: 418 inclusive 39 chapters on:Retinal detachment, cryopexy, histology, AMD, tumours, diabetic retinopathy; 15 books in 6 languages on: Retinal and vitreous surgery. She has received 18 awards. She has been Professor hc for research in 2011: in 2011, during Meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology in Orlando, an interview was taken between Prof. Kreissig /Germany and Prof. Lincoff /USA. They are discussing the development and various issues of retinal detachment surgery. If you click on the 4th link at the bottom of the typed page you can hear them talking: https://tinyurl.com/LincoffKreissig.

Purpose: The evolution of present surgical techniques for reattaching a primary retinal detachment will be analysed by starting from 1929 to present in regard to their morbidity, reoperation and long-term visual function. Literature of retinal detachment operations during the past 85 years is reviewed. There had been a change from surgery of the entire retinal detachment to a surgery limited to thebreak and a  change from extraocular to intraocular surgery. The 4 major surgical techniques for repair of a primary retinal detachment is applied in the beginning of the 21st century, have still one in common: to find and close the retinal break which caused the detachment and which would cause a redetachment, if not sealed off

sufficiently.

 

Conclusion: To find and close sufficiently the break in a primary retinal detachment has accompanied the efforts of retinal detachment surgeons during the past 85 years. This is still the premise for sustained reattachment. However, today 4 postulates have to be fulfilled: (1) Retinal reattachment should be obtained with the 1st operation; (2) the procedure should have a minimum of morbidity, (3) should not harbour secondary complications jeopardizing regained visual acuity and (4) be performed on a small budget in local anaesthesia.