The Scleral Buckling Procedures

Introduction Gonin is the discoverer of the fundamental principle which governs all rational types of surgery for the reattachment of the retina, namely, that it is necessary and sufficient to permanently seal off all the retinal breaks. As a result of this finding, attempts have generally been made to close the retinal breaks by irritating the choroid lying directly over them. However, Gonin himself and several other authors found that, when breaks were either multiple or large, it was easier to obtain cures by creating a scar which acted as a barrage between the anteriorly located breaks and the more posteriorly situated retina. Such a barrage forms a dyke which limits the detachment to the area surrounding the untreated retinal breaks and protects the portion of the retina which has potential usefulness. When a correctly performed retinopexy (or simple diathermy operation) results in failure, in spite of what seems to