Objective To measure the changes of eye shape and axial length of the eyeball before and after removing the scleral encircling buckles.Methods This is a prospective and controlled study. Twenty eyes (20 patients) with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment and the fellow eyes were enrolled in this study. All patients underwent scleral encircling buckling, and the buckles were removed 2.0-3.5 years after the surgery. The eye shape and axial length of both eyes were measured by three-dimensional computed tomography (3D-CT) before and one,three,six months after the removing surgery. The axial length was also measured by intraocular lens (IOL) Master.Results 3D-CT showed that buckled eyeball depressed at the equator, resulting in a gourd-shaped eyeball. One month after removing the encircling buckle the depression disappeared. By 3D-CT scanning, the axial lengths of buckled eyes were (27.65plusmn;1.22), (27.3plusmn;1.56), (27.29plusmn;1.46) and (27.12plusmn;1.49) mm before and one, three, six months after the removing surgery respectively. The difference between before and after removing surgery was not statistically significant (t=2.89,P=0.723). By IOLMaster, the axial length of operated eyes were (28.32plusmn;1.94), (28.17plusmn;1.87), (28.21plusmn;1.94), (28.25plusmn;1.93） mm respectively. The difference between before and after removing the encircling band was not statistically significant (t=3.304, P=0.93). There was no significant difference in these two measuring modes (t=3.705,P=0.847).Conclusions Encircling buckling can cause eyeball indentation, removing the encircling band can rescue the indentation. There are no changes in the axial length before and after removing the encircling buckles.
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)