To compare the efficacy and safety of intraoperative laser indirect ophthalmoscopy and cryopexy for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment through the use.

We retrospectively analyze the clinical results of 60 patients (61 eyes) with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment. All eyes had an attached macula and were scheduled for conventional scleral buckling surgery with cryopexy (25 eyes) or laser indirect ophthalmoscopy (36 eyes) from March 2001 to August 2007. The visual acuities of the two groups at the first postoperative day, 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months were compared. Retinal reattachment, macular pucker, cystoid macular edema, and proliferative vitreoretinopathy were confirmed 3 months after surgery.

The visual recovery was faster in patients who received laser indirect ophthalmoscopy (1 day, P =0.044; 1 week, P =0.017). During the follow-up period, anatomical failure in the laser indirect ophthalmoscopy group did not develop, but there were two anatomical failures in the cryopexy group. In addition, 1 PVR was detected in the cryopexy group. However, neither group exhibited macular pucker or cystoid macular edema. Postoperative additional laser photocoagulation was performed on 7 eyes (19.4%) in thelaser indirect ophthalmoscopy group and 2 eyes (4.0%) in the cryopexy group.

Although intraoperative laser indirect ophthalmoscopy causes less chorioretinal scar formation than cryopexy, it has a higher anatomical success rate and allows for faster visual recovery.