The relationship between retina surgery and preretinal macular fibrosis

A prospective study of 440 eyes of 220 patients following successful operations for primary rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (132 eyes) and prophylactic operations for retinal breaks (103 eyes) revealed an incidence of preretinal macular fibrosis (PRMF) of 47% after scleral buckling surgery and 42% after prophylactic laser or cryopexy. The incidence of PRMF was significantly greater in aphakic vs phakic detachments, in detachments with operculated vs horseshoe breaks, in detachments with horseshoe breaks vs lattice degeneration, in detachments involving the macula, after scleral buckling with cryotherapy vs diathermy, and after prophylactic treatment of retinal breaks of fellow eyes with retinal detachment or retinal breaks that had developed postoperative PRMF. Analysis of the data suggests that PRMF is most likely a result of the retinal break, detachment, and subsequent treatment.