Comprehensive Guide to Special Senses Eyes and Ears Practice Test 2026 - Free Practice Questions and Study Guide

Removing the gel-like vitreous and replacing it with saline is called a vitrectomy. In this procedure, the surgeon removes the vitreous humor from the eyeball to gain access to the retina, then fills the space with a balanced salt solution (saline) or another tamponade to maintain the eye’s shape during healing. This approach is used to treat conditions where the vitreous interferes with retinal repair or causes problems like retinal tears, detachments, or vitreous hemorrhage. The other options involve different parts of the eye: scleral buckling is an external procedure to support a detached retina without removing the vitreous; radial keratotomy and keratoplasty involve the cornea, not the vitreous.