Role of Buckling in the Modern era of Vitreoretinal Surgeries

J Gonin changed the entire concept of pathogenesis of retinal detachment and identified retinal breaks as the cause of retinal detachments1. He developed the surgical technique of drainage of subretinal fluid beneath the retinal break combined with direct treatment of the break by transscleral cautery (ignipuncture) with a success rate of 40%2. The invention of binocular indirect ophthalmoscope made the localisation of the breaks easy. Custodis in 1949 described non drainage sclera buckling with polyvinyl explants with a success rate of 80%. Charles Schepens in 1951 described a technique of sclera buckling with the help of intrascleral silicone implant with diathermy with a success rate of 80%. In 1964 Harvey Lincoff used cryopexy along with silicone sponges for treatment of retinal detachment with a success rate of about 80%.