Objective: To characterize 20 cases of retinal detachment (RD) following surgical repair of macular holes.
Methods: Retrospective review of 20 eyes in 16 patients (4 patients [25%] had bilateral macular hole repairs with subsequent RD) who developed RD in the same eye in which surgical repair of a macular hole had been performed.
Results: Twenty detachments in 16 patients were reviewed. The average duration between macular hole repair and presentation of RD was 5.5 weeks. The inferior retina was involved more frequently than the superior retina. A total of 76% of all breaks were located inferiorly. Ten of the 20 eyes were asymptomatic at the time the detachment was diagnosed. Of the 20 eyes, 19 underwent surgical repair, all with anatomic reattachment. At final follow-up, the macular hole was closed in all 20 eyes, and 60% of the patients had final visual acuity improved by 2 lines or more over that before their macular hole repair.
Conclusion: Retinal detachment is a complication of macular hole surgery. These detachments tend to occur within the first 2 months of follow-up, and have a high success rate of anatomic reattachment with surgery. The occurrence of RD does not preclude improved final visual acuity.