• When vitrectomy is performed in eyes without posterior vitreous detachment, complete removal of the posterior hyaloid may be important to relieve existing vitreoretinal traction or to remove a surface for subsequent cellular proliferation. We used two alternative techniques of detaching the posterior hyaloid in an unselected consecutive series of ten patients; we used either a tapered extrusion needle or a microvitreoretinal blade to initiate separation of the posterior hyaloid at the optic disc margin. After surgical peeling of the posterior hyaloid from the retina, complete removal of the posterior vitreous and surgical relief of posterior vitreoretinal traction were facilitated.