Histopathologic study of the effect of retinal detachment surgery on 49 eyes obtained post mortem

We studied 49 eyes obtained post mortem from 43 patients who had previously had retinal detachment surgery to evaluate some of the factors known to complicate retinal detachment. The retina had been successfully reattached in 44 of 49 eyes. We found epiretinal membranes in 37 eyes (75.5%), and in 15 eyes (30.6%) these membranes caused some degree of macular pucker. Other important findings included atrophy of the photoreceptor layer in 13 eyes (26.5%), intrusion of the implant in ten eyes (21.7%), cystoid macular edema in five eyes (10.2%), ciliochoroidal effusion in five eyes (10.2%), anterior segment necrosis in four eyes (8.2%), and choroidal neovascularization in three eyes (6.1%).