Long-term Complications of Conventional and Chandelier-Assisted Scleral Buckle for Primary Repair of Rhegmatogenous Retinal Detachment.

Purpose: To compare the outcomes of conventional indirect ophthalmoscopy and wide-angled visualization with chandelier endo-illumination methods in scleral buckle surgery by focusing on postoperative complications in the postoperative long-term period.

Methods: In this retrospective comparative study, patients who underwent scleral buckle surgery due to rhegmatogenous retinal detachment were included in the study. Conventional scleral buckle surgery using indirect ophthalmoscopy was performed in Group 1, and wide-angled visualization with chandelier endo-illumination method in scleral buckle surgery was performed in Group 2. The outcomes of the two methods were compared.

Results: The demographic and baseline clinical characteristics of the groups were similar ( > 0.05, for all). The mean follow-up time was 70.47 ± 20.32 weeks (52-116) in Group 1 and 64.89 ± 18.12 weeks (52-100) in Group 2 ( > 0.05). There was no significant difference in the mean postoperative best-corrected visual acuity and redetachment rates of the groups ( > 0.05, for both). The cumulative rate of postoperative complications was more frequent in Group 1 ( = 0.011) despite being not significant in one-by-one comparison of the complications including epiretinal membrane, proliferative vitreoretinopathy, glaucoma, cystoid macular edema, foveal atrophy, gaze restriction, and macular hole ( > 0.05, for all).

Conclusion: Using wide-angled visualization with chandelier endo-illumination in scleral buckle surgery, favorable surgical outcomes can be achieved in the postoperative long-term period with fewer complications.