Return to the Operating Room After Repair of Rhegmatogenous Retinal Detachment

PURPOSE: To report the rate of all-cause returns to the operating room (OR) after surgery for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD). PATIENTS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective consecutive case series; 1278 eyes underwent RRD repair from 1/1/2014 to 12/31/2016 at a tertiary care center. A total of 507 eyes returned to the OR. Surgical indication, procedure, number of reoperations, and final vision were recorded. RESULTS: At least one secondary procedure was performed in 24.9% at 6 months, 34.7% at 1 year, and 39.7% as of last follow-up. The most common indications for reoperation were cataract (43.9%) and recurrent RRD (12.8%). Cornea, glaucoma, and oculoplastic issues were rare (each <1.1%). There was no association between final visual outcome and number of reoperations (p > 0.05). SB/PPV had the highest rate of return to OR (p < 0.001) but lowest rate of recurrent RRD (p = 0.007). CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, there are no other large studies that examine all-cause returns to the OR after primary RRD repair. This study provides important risk-benefit and prognostic information to patients undergoing RRD repair.