Surgical treatment for diabetic retinopathy is the removal of the vitreous gel (vitrectomy). Vitrectomy does not cure the disease. But it may improve vision in people who have developed bleeding into the vitreous gel (vitreous hemorrhage), retinal detachment, or severe scar tissue formation. Unfortunately, by the time some people are diagnosed with retinopathy (especially late-stage retinopathy), it is often too late for a vitrectomy to provide many benefits.