A stiffer and safer light pipe for 25-gauge Vitrectomy

A drawback of the 25- gauge vitrectomy system is the flexibility of the instruments. It can be difficult to perform precise maneuvers such as removing the internal limiting membrane because it is difficult to prevent saccadic eye movements. We designed a new, less flexible, safer light pipe ( compared with the standard light pipes) for 25-gauge vitrectomy. The length of the light pipe is 15 mm, making the instrument much less flexible compared with the 32- mm- long standard light pipes. The new instrument also can prevent retinal damage caused by illumination and mechanical retinal damage associated with the longer light pipe. The new short light pipe is useful for the 25- gauge sutureless vitrectomy system.