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Abstract #3692

Vitreous Oxygenation Measured by T1 Mapping in the Eye Reveals No Increased Oxygenation Following Vitrectomy

Nicholas G. Dowell1, Edward H. Hughes2, Andrew Simpson2, Paul S. Tofts1

1Brighton and Sussex Medical School, Brighton, United Kingdom; 2Sussex Eye Hospital, Brighton, United Kingdom


We use a T1 mapping technique to determine the partial pressure of oxygen (pO2) of the vitreous humour (the clear gel that fills the eyeball between the lens and the retina) in a group of patients undergoing a vitrectomy (the extraction of the vitreous). We measured pO2 in 9 patients before and after vitrectomy and showed that there was no increase in vitreous oxygenation. This finding could have implications for the understanding of the therapeutic benefits of vitrectomy and may help improve patient treatment. The technique itself provides a non-invasive approach to pO2 measurement that will permit longitudinal studies of the oxygenation mechanism of the eye.