Complications of Scleral Buckling

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To evaluate the nature and frequencies of the complications of scleral buckling surgery. METHODS: The medical records of 222 eyes of 218 patients who had undergone primary scleral buckling surgery using silicone exoplant from January 1993 to June 1999 by one surgeon and who had been followed up for more than 6 months after surgery were reviewed retrospectively. RESULTS: For intraoperative complications, scleral perforation occurred in 24 cases (9.9%) and subretinal hemorrhages in 17 cases (7.0%) out of 243 procedures. For postoperative complications, surgical failure of the primary surgery occurred in 49 eyes (22.1%), temporary increase of intraocular pressure in 13 eyes (6.7%), macular complications in 8 eyes (4.3%), choroidal detachment in 3 eyes (1.5%), strabismus in 2 patients (1.2%), conjunctival cyst in 2 eyes (1.0%) and extrusion of the buckling material in 1 eye (0.5%). Scleral encircling induced myopia of average 2.36 diopters in 13 eyes. The main causes of the primary failure were proliferative vitreoretinopathy in 21 eyes (42.9%) and inadequate buckling in 11 eyes (22.4%). CONCLUSIONS: The most common complication after scleral buckling surgery using silicone exoplant was scleral perforation intraoperatively and persistent or recurrent retinal detachment postoperatively. Temporary increase of intraocular pressure, refractive change, macular complications also occurred postoperatively.