Objective To investigate the refractive changes of ocular measurable factors due to scleral buckling surgery. Methods A total of 86 eyes of successful rhegmatogenous retinal detachment with a higher encircling scleral buckle underwent A-scan and keratometer examination before surgery as well as l week,4 and 12 weeks after surgery.The refractive factors included the depth of anterior chamber,thickness of lens,axial length of eye,corneal curvature and refraction of eye were detected pre- and post-operatively. Results Compared with preoperation,the depth of anterior chamber was decreased significantly at the lst,4th and 12th postoperative week(P＜0.05),while no significant change of the axial length of eye was observed.The thickness of lens was increased significantly and the refractive error was myopic shifted at the lst and 4th week after operation(P＜0.05),but no significant change was observed at the 12th postoperative week.Statistically significant difference was also observed in corneal curvature of central axis in the local bucklele;1 quadrant with encircling group between preoperation and the lst and 4th postoperative week. Conclusions With higher encircling scleral buckle,the refractive change after buckling surgery may be caused primarily by the shallowing of anterior chamber and thickening of lens. (Chin J Ocul Fundus Dis, 1999, 15: 227-229)