After introduction of vitreoretinal surgery more than 40 years ago, further development of the procedure involved a continuous reduction of potential toxic effects by irrigating solutions, endoillumination or mechanical manipulation. Recently, additional efforts were made to prevent neurodegeneration via pharmacological intervention. Taurine as additive for irrigating solutions can be considered as an example for neuroprotectants in vitreoretinal surgery. Approval of neuroprotective agents demands an increased effort for preclinical and clinical evaluation. To date, only few neuroprotective substances are used in clinical routine in the context of vitreoretinal surgery, however, experimental data suggest a high potential of various neuroprotective agents. The following article gives an overview of current neuroprotective approaches feasible for vitreoretinal surgery and a critical analysis of their clinical relevance.
