Surgical Assistant Use in Vitreoretinal Surgery

From 2000 through 2014, surgical assistants were used in 12% of vitreoretinal surgeries. The percentage of cases using an assistant declined from 14% in 2000 to 10% in 2014 (P < 0.01), a 29% decline. This decline may be secondary to technological advances in vitrectomy, which confer greater surgeon independence, and a marked decline in scleral buckling procedures.