Retinal Circulatory Changes after Scleral Buckling Procedures

The noninvasive laser Doppler technique was used to study retinal circulatory characteristics in five patients who underwent uncomplicated scleral buckling procedures. In each patient, the systolic/diastolic variation of the red blood cell speed in the retinal arteries (flow pulsatility ratio) was lower in the eye that had received an intrascleral implant and an encircling band than in the fellow eye. In one patient, an increase in flow pulsatility ratio accompanied an increase in retinal blood flow after removal of the scleral buckling elements. In another patient, the flow pulsatility ratio in the eye that had received a solid implant and an encircling band was less than the ratio in the fellow eye that had received an absorbable implant alone. Our results indicated that reduced retinal blood flow may be common after scleral buckling procedures, and may be a significant factor in otherwise inexplicable postoperative complications.