New onset diplopia: 14 years after retinal detachment surgery with a hydrogel scleral buckle

In 1979, the hydrogel explant (Miragel, Waltham, MA, USA) was introduced as a scleral buckling material in the surgical management of retinal detachment.1 It was widely used in the 1980s and early 1990s as it was initially believed to be well tolerated, less prone to infection, and easy to manipulate.2 However, long term complications related to swelling and fragmentation of the explant have been reported over recent years,3–6 resulting in discontinuation of its use in 1995. A 36 year old healthy man presented on 2003 with symptoms of mild right ocular discomfort. Past ocular history included a right retinal detachment repair 14 years previously, using a 907 (3×5 mm) Miragel scleral buckle (Miragel, Medical Instruments Research Associates, Waltham, MA, USA), sutured to the inferior sclera. On examination, visual acuity was …