title: Visual acuity following retinal detachment surgery.
abstract: A poor visual acuity following an anatomical cure of a retinal detachment was in this series always associated with a change in macular morphology, the commonest maculopathy being the appearance of a cellophanemembrane. Factors influencing the visual prognosis are duration and extent of the detachment, involvement of the macula, the age of the patient and the presence of pre-operative periretinal membrane formation. The type of buckling procedure is not related to the visual outcome and while the conversion of the procedure into an intra-ocular operation, either by way of drainage of subretinal fluid or by intra-vitreal injection, can cause serious complications we suggest that uncomplicated drainage of subretinal fluid has not been a cause of macular pucker in this series but that this conditions is related to the indication for drainage, namely a varying degree of rigidity of the retina due to periretinal membrane formation.
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D004322:Drainage / Q000009:adverse effects; D006801:Humans; D008266:Macula Lutea; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D011379:Prognosis; D012163:Retinal Detachment / Q000601:surgery*; D012164:Retinal Diseases / Q000209:etiology; D012591:Scleral Buckling / Q000379:methods; D013997:Time Factors; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D014792:Visual Acuity; D014822:Vitreous Body