Anterior chamber depth changes after retinal detachment.

Abstract

Glaucoma is a rare complication of retinal detachment surgery. Smith (I967) reported postoperative angle closure in 4 per cent. of I,ooo consecutive scleral buckling procedures. He believed the mechanism to be a forward rotation of the ciliary body with shallowing of the anterior chamber and angle closure. Fiore and Newton (I970) investigated 34 patients after scleral buckling with encirclement and found that four were shallow after 2 months; the remainder became shallow temporarily but had returned to preoperative levels in 2 months. One of these had a choroidal detachment which recovered. We have set out to pursue these findings further: firstly, to compare anterior depth changes after various types of detachment surgery, and secondly, to investigate the early postoperative period.