Choroidal Detachment After Vitreous Surgery

* BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To study the frequency and clinical features of choroidal detachment (CD) after vitreous surgery, because there have been no reports on this problem. * PATIENTS AND METHODS: We studied the clinical features of 14 patients (15 eyes) with CD from a total of 380 patients treated with vitrectomy at the Nagasaki University Hospital from January 1994 to August 1997. * RESULTS: The incidence of CD after vitreous surgery was 3.9% (15/380) . The reasons for vitrectomy were 6 retinal detachments, 4 proliferative diabetic retinopathies, and 5 others. During vitrectomy, 4 eyes were treated with scleral buckling, 11 with endolaser photocoagulation, and 3 with cryoretinopexy. Retinal detachment as a postoperative complication was seen in 8 patients, and in 5 of them the retina remained detached after the final treatment. * CONCLUSIONS: CD may be caused by scleral buckling, panphotocoagulation, or stress on the ciliary body. Some patients with CD have a poor outcome. [Ophthalmic Surg Lasers 2000;31:276-281]