Transscleral Removal of Subretinal Strand without Vitrectomy: A Case Report

Recurrence of inferior retinal detachment, after vitreoretinal surgery and silicone oil tamponade, along with a subretinal strand, presents a challenge for surgeons. Vitrectomy and retinotomy are the usual treatment in such cases. Here, we present a new transscleral method for addressing this problem. A 13-year-old boy with recurrent retinal detachment after silicone oil tamponade underwent scleral buckling surgery and had a transscleral subretinal strand removed without retinotomy. The retina reattached, and silicone oil was removed 3 months later. The best-corrected visual acuity was 0.4 in decimal vision at 1 year after silicone oil removal. Scleral buckling surgery combined with subretinal strand removal may be used as an alternative to retinotomy, especially for patients with an inferior retinal detachment and local subretinal strand formation.