Bernd Kirchhof – författare

Unlike the cornea or lens, the retina is part of the central nervous system and cannot be replaced. Therefore degeneration of the outer retina is blinding, but trials using devices such as retinal implants which combine biology with technology are showing promise at restoring vision. Macular diseases are the most common cause of blindness in the developed countries. Oedema of the macula may arise in the retina, such as in diabetes mellitus or in epiretinal membrane formation, but most importantly it is age-related insufficiency of the underlying retinal pigment epithelial cell that causes central scotoma.This volume on vitreoretinal surgery is written by authors who are leaders in these fields of research. It covers the large body of experimental research performed to date on the most urgent clinical problems of vitreoretinal disease.Topics dealt with in the book include:Methods against etinal Exudation by Thermal Laser Replacement of the Diseased Retinal Pigment Epithelial (RPE) Cell Secondary Wound Healing after Retinal Attachment (Proliferative Vitreoretinopathy, PVR) Adjunct Pharmacotherapy Heavier than Water Vitreous Substitutes Conditions Associated with a High Risk of PVR (e.g. Giant Tear Retinal Detachments) Uveitis Vitrectomy with New Diagnostic and Therapeutic Means

Progress in vitreo-retinal surgery is mercurial. Since this series is dedicated to new developments the reader is presented with a motley list of topics. The advancements described here may represent generally accepted progress in the field: New instruments, Macular hole surgery, Tumor biopsy. New ideas are set out to be tested for their benefit, for example: AMD surgery, Adjunctive pharmacotherapy. Reflections on incessant clinical problems in vitreo-retina surgery require superior scrutinization of established surgical techniques and indications: Posterior slippage, Inferior breaks, Subclinical retinal detachments. The editors will expand this list in future editions with topics like: new support for buckling surgery, enzyme assisted vitrectomy, new tamponades and other yet unknown fields of progress.