Scleral buckling and lens-sparing vitrectomy are the two preferred methods of treatment for stage 4 retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). Both have some disadvantages, so the authors modified the lens-sparing vitrectomy method to create the local relaxing vitrectomy technique. The core vitreous is not cut as in the lens-sparing vitrectomy, but the organized vitreous is directly dissected with the vitrectomy probe. Two cases of stage 4 ROP were successfully treated using this method. The local relaxing vitrectomy may be a better treatment choice for some cases of stage 4A ROP.