Purpose: To evaluate the feasibility of illuminating the fundus by combining a wide-angle-viewing contact lens and slit lamp attached to a surgical microscope during retinal reattachment surgery and vitrectomy.
Design: An interventional study.
Methods: We combined slit-lamp illumination and a wide-angle-viewing contact lens to visualize the fundus during retinal reattachment surgery and vitrectomy.
Results: We clearly observed the fundus using this combination approach during conventional retinal reattachment surgery, which we completed without using an indirect ophthalmoscope. With slit-lamp illumination, the wide-angle-viewing contact lens provided a wider area of illumination than a planoconcave contact lens during vitrectomy in addition to an area of illumination as wide as that obtained using a light pipe.
Conclusions: Combining slit-lamp illumination and a wide-angle-viewing contact lens seems to provide a useful alternative method for viewing the fundus during vitreoretinal surgery.