Haider S A, Amer Raza Awan, Atif Chohan, Ahsan Anwar.
To Drain or not to Drain? The Place of Drainage of Sub-retinal Fluid in Retinal Re-attachment Surgery.
Pak J Ophthalmol Nov ;17(3):82-5.

Introduction: A rhegmatogenous retinal detachment occurs when fluid seeps into the sub retinal space through a discontinuity or a break in the retina. Some Ophthalmologists feel that unless the sub retinal fluid (SRF) is externally drained the retina will not flatten despite an adequate buckling procedure. Aim: To test the hypothesis that `Routine drainage of sub-retinal fluid is not essential for the anatomic re-attachment of the retina` Study Design: Retrospective and consecutive Method: We conducted a retrospective study of 161 eyes of 161 patients who underwent conventional retinal re-attachment procedure. The end point was successful anatomical retinal re-attachment. Results: Anatomic re-attachment of the retina was achieved in 88% of eyes where the SRF was drained and 85% where SRF was not drained. Per operative complications were encountered in 6 out of 65 eyes (9%) where SRF was drained and 2 out 95 eyes (2%) where SRF was not drained. Conclusion: Routine drainage of SRF is not essential for successful retinal re-attachment.

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