Vitrectomy is the surgical removal of the vitreous gel from the middle of the eye. It may be done when there is a retinal detachment, because removing the vitreous gel gives your eye doctor (ophthalmologist) better access to the back of the eye. The vitreous gel may also be removed if blood in the vitreous gel (vitreous hemorrhage) does not clear on its own.

Transconjunctival sutureless microincision vitrectomy surgery (MIVS) was introduced by Fujii and colleagues in 2002, permitting sutureless vitrectomy for the first time..This major advance, which used 25-27 gauge instrumentation, provided several advantages over conventional 20-gauge vitrectomy, including shorter surgical time, less surgically induced inflammation, and reduced risk of postoperative corneal astigmatism, factors that ultimately led to improved patient comfort and faster visualrecovery.