Scleral Buckles Hawaii

Scleral buckles are used to repair retinal detachments. A scleral buckle is a permanent band which is placed around the outside of the eye to help support the retina in good position, similar to a belt for one’s pants. They are made usually of either solid silicone rubber or sponge material. They are placed under the conjunctiva (white part of eye) and once healed, are not visible. They have been used for decades and are designed to be safely left in place forever. Cryotherapy is usually used with a scleral buckle to create a permanent seal surrounding the retinal tear. The fluid which has collected under the retina is either surgically removed or is allowed to spontaneously reabsorb. Sometimes a gas bubble will also be injected into the vitreous cavity as part of this procedure. Scleral buckling surgery is performed in an operating room. It is frequently done under local anesthesia and the patient will usually return home the same day as the surgery.