Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of scleral buckling under direct vision with the operating lamp illumination for the treatment of retinal detachment (RD) associated with retinal dialysis.

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on 17 selected cases of patients with monocular RD caused by retinal dialysis, representing 17 injured eyes. The patients were treated at the Hebei Eye Hospital from January 1, 2020, to December 31, 2022, which included 10 males (10 impacted eyes) and 7 females (7 impacted eyes), aged 12-39 years (mean: 25.24 ± 13.1 years). Scleral buckling was proposed for all patients as the recommended treatment plan, including both segmental scleral buckling and encircle buckle combined with radial buckling. Segmental buckling was performed in most of these cases while encircling buckling combined with radial buckling was indicated for severe RD cases with extensive dialysis at the ora serrata and serious retinal proliferation. After the surgeries, the patients were followed up once a month for 6 months, during which the corrected visual acuity, intraocular pressure, ultrasonographic results, slit-lamp examination results, and gonioscopy results of the patients were collected to evaluate the restoration progress of the retina.

Results: The detached retinas were completely reset in position in all 17 patients in one single operation respectively, representing an operation success rate of 100%. Over the 6-month follow-up period, the retinas of all cases remained in place without recurrence of detachment, representing a retina restoration rate of 100%. No patients reported the serious complications commonly associated with RD, including high intraocular pressure, complicated cataracts, and choroidal hemorrhage.

Conclusion: Scleral buckling under direct vision with an operating lamp illumination is safe and effective in the treatment of RD associated with retinal dialysis. In this technique, the operation is visually aided by magnified images that are the real, erect image of the retina, which makes the procedure relatively easy to perform. It has a lower requirement for previous training of the operator and operational instruments, which makes it easier to be adopted in the outpatient setting.

Keywords: Retinal Detachment; Retinal Dialysis; Scleral Buckling.

© 2025. The Author(s).