Scleral Buckling in the Treatment of Retinal Detachment Due to Retinal Dialysis.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE To describe clinical features and outcomes of scleral buckle surgery as treatment for patients with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment caused by retinal dialysis. PATIENTS AND METHODS Nonrandomized, consecutive case series. All patients underwent encircling scleral buckle for retinal detachment secondary to retinal dialysis. Visual acuity (VA) and retinal attachment status were recorded for the postoperative period. RESULTS The study included 16 eyes of 15 patients with mean age 25.8 years; 80% were male, and 75% of the cases were associated with trauma. Dialyses were most commonly found inferotemporally (63%). Mean preoperative VA was 20/103 and mean postoperative VA was 20/62. VA improved in nine cases, and eight cases had a VA of 20/40 or better at the last follow-up. Due to retinal re-detachment, two patients (13%) required additional surgery with vitrectomy. CONCLUSIONS Retinal dialysis is an uncommon etiology for retinal detachment and is often associated with trauma and younger age. Scleral buckling can be an effective strategy in the initial management of these patients.