Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

Altitude and gas expansion in repaired rhegmatogenous retinal detachment

Eye (2023)Cite this article

Subjects

With 40.3 million flights per year and over 4 thousand million passengers flying in the pre-COVID time [1], there is a great chance that patients encounter problems relating to gas expansion. In addition, a significant proportion of patients in higher altitude countries such as Switzerland, Nepal or Peru may experience problems with gas expansion when returning to their home after surgery.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Learn more

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References

  1. Published by Statista Research Department and 3, F. Airline Industry Worldwide - number of flights 2004-2022, Statista. Available at: https://www.statista.com/statistics/564769/airline-industry-number-of-flights/ (2023). (Accessed: February, 2023).

  2. Kenny BJ, Ponichtera K. Physiology, Boyle’s Law. In: StatPearls. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; October, 2022.

  3. Jackson T, Donachie P, Sallam A, Sparrow J, Johnston R. United Kingdom National Ophthalmology Database study of vitreoretinal surgery. Ophthalmology. 2014;121:643–8.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Moya R, Chandra A, Banerjee PJ, Tsouris D, Ahmad N, Charteris DG. The incidence of unexplained visual loss following removal of silicone oil. Eye (Lond). 2015;29:1477–82. https://doi.org/10.1038/eye.2015.135.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Raczyńska D, Mitrosz K, Raczyńska K, Glasner L. The influence of silicone oil on the ganglion cell complex after pars plana vitrectomy for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment. Curr Pharm Des. 2018;24:3476–93. https://doi.org/10.2174/1381612824666180813115438.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Thompson JT. Kinetics of intraocular gases: disappearance of air, sulfur hexafluoride, and perfluoropropane after pars plana vitrectomy. Arch Ophthalmol. 1989;107:687–91. https://doi.org/10.1001/archopht.1989.01070010705031.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Lincoff H, Weinberger D, Stergiu P. Air travel with intraocular gas. II. Clin Consid Arch Ophthalmol. 1989;107:907–10. https://doi.org/10.1001/archopht.1989.01070010929043.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Kokame GT, Ing MR. Intraocular gas and low-altitude air flight. Retina. 1994;14:356–8. https://doi.org/10.1097/00006982-199414040-00012.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Ferrini W, Pournaras JA, Wolfensberger TJ. Expansion of intraocular gas bubbles due to altitude: do meteorological factors play a role? Klin Monbl Augenheilkd. 2010;227:312–4. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0029-1245292.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ophthalmology, Inselspital, University Hospital of Bern, Bern, Switzerland

    Rodrigo Anguita, Lorenzo Ferro Desideri & Martin Zinkernagel

  2. Moorfields Eye Hospital, NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom

    Rodrigo Anguita

Authors
  1. Rodrigo Anguita
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Lorenzo Ferro Desideri
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Martin Zinkernagel
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

RA, LFD and MZ conceived and designed the article, analysed and interpreted the literature, drafted the manuscript and made critical revision of the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rodrigo Anguita.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Additional information

Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Anguita, R., Ferro Desideri, L. & Zinkernagel, M. Altitude and gas expansion in repaired rhegmatogenous retinal detachment. Eye (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41433-023-02598-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41433-023-02598-6

Search

Advanced search

Quick links