Ocular deviation after retinal detachment surgery

Thirty patients with untreated rhegmatogenous retinal detachments underwent complete ocular muscle examinations before scleral buckling procedures. The examination was repeated three weeks, six weeks, three months, and six months after surgery. We found a high incidence of heterotropia after surgery; in most cases this resolved during the first six postoperative months. This resolution progressed from heterotropia to heterophoria to orthophoria. We believe this change results from phoria adaptation. Diplopia occurred in three patients. We found no statistically significant association between this diplopia and the type of surgery used.