To report a case of visual deterioration and atrophied retina after pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) and silicone oil tamponade for the treatment of retinal detachment with previous encircling scleral buckling.

A 29-year-old female visited for treatment of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) in the right eye which was not completely resolved after encircling scleral buckling. Logarithm of minimal angle of resolution (log MAR) and best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 0.3. Retinal detachment from 3 to 8 O'clock without macular involvement was identified. Pars plana vitrectomy, endophotocoagulation and silicone oil tamponade were performed. During the operation, retinal dialysis and retinal break at the superonasal periphery were observed. The patient complained of central scotoma at 2 days postoperatively and hyper-reflection of the inner retina was identified on optical coherence tomography (OCT). At 2 weeks postoperatively, the OCT image revealed a thin retina and impending macular hole. After 2 months, the silicone oil was removed. Although the retina was well attached, the retina remained atrophied and the log MAR BCVA was 0.16.

We report a rare case with deteriorated visual acuity after PPV and silicone oil tamponade for the retreatment of RRD in an atopic dermatitis patient.