In January I had a vitrectomy and membrane peel to correct a Stage 3 macular hole at the Wills Eye Institute in Philadelphia. My surgeon asked me to maintain a face downward position “as if I were reading a book on my lap” for the day of surgery and the following 4 days. At night, he asked me to sleep with my head to the side, on either ear. This positioning was easy to maintain.
The hole had closed by my 1 week checkup. It is still closed, and my retina has healed. My vision is not perfect, but it is much improved.
I had a vitrectomy in 2015 for macular traction/epiretinal membrane peel and did not use face down recovery. I did however have to sleep with my head slightly elevated. All is well now.
You have several options: 1. you can get a second opinion from another retina surgeon. You might not need surgery OR they do what is call No Face Down Surgery 2. you can talk to your surgeon and tell him what you just posted and that you just can't do it, can they do it without face down. There is much being written in the retina research about trying to eliminate the face down. 3. Yes use the search feature there are many discussions about face down.