Surgeon Details Retinal Detachment Risks After Globe Repair

A decade-long review found 29% of eyes repaired for globe injuries later developed retinal detachment, most within a month.

Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Emergency Response

Isometric editorial illustration of a stylized eye in cross-section, its retina lifting into an oxblood flap with a thin instrument at the detached edge. — Retinal detachment developed in 29% of more than 900 eyes repaired for globe injuries over a decade, Massachusetts Eye and Ear researchers reported, most within a month of surgery. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Woodward presented pearls for surgery on retinal detachment after globe repair at OSN New York Retina. A Massachusetts Eye and Ear review of more than 900 eyes over 10 years found 29% developed retinal detachment after primary globe repair.

Why it matters

Retinal detachment after globe repair is a serious complication that can threaten vision, and the timing data shows it most often appears in the first weeks after surgery. Clinicians in New York and elsewhere use these figures to plan monitoring and secondary procedures.

The figures come from a retrospective review of primary globe repair cases at Massachusetts Eye and Ear over 10 years, in which 29% of more than 900 eyes developed retinal detachment. Timing data show 27% of detachments occurred within 24 hours, 47% within one week and 72% within one month, and the extraction does not address comparisons with other centers.

The players

Massachusetts Eye and Ear

Massachusetts Eye and Ear is a Boston-based teaching hospital and research institution affiliated with Harvard Medical School, known for its ophthalmology and otolaryngology programs.

OSN New York Retina

OSN New York Retina is a New York-based retina practice that hosts clinical presentations and surgical education for eye care professionals.

The details

Patients with vitreous hemorrhage, posterior zone injury or worse visual acuity at presentation were more likely to develop a detachment. Woodward described an approach that works from the outside in and front to back, using perfluoro-n-octane to stabilize the retina, and noted that a prior LASIK flap may complicate detachment surgery.

Over a 10-year period, Massachusetts Eye and Ear reviewed more than 900 eyes that underwent primary globe repair.
Within 24 hours of globe repair, 27% of retinal detachments occurred.
Within one week, 47% of retinal detachments had occurred.
Within one month, 72% of retinal detachments had occurred.

Big Picture

The Massachusetts Eye and Ear review of more than 900 globe repairs over a decade provides the baseline figures that this surgical teaching builds on. Clinicians now use its timing data to set the length of postoperative surveillance after primary globe repair.

Patients who have undergone globe repair should know that detachment risk is highest in the first month, so they should keep scheduled retinal checks. Anyone with a prior LASIK flap should tell their surgeon, since it may complicate later detachment surgery.

The takeaway

Vision outcomes after a globe injury depend heavily on early follow-up, since most retinal detachments appear within weeks of repair. Patients should attend every scheduled eye exam during that window.