Scleral Buckle & Vision: How Glasses Can Help After Retinal Detachment Surgery

A scleral buckle looks similar to a thick rubber band that is roughly the same diameter of the human eyeball. It is applied around the eyeball during the repair of a retinal detachment. Application of a scleral buckle to the eye is an important part of repairing a retinal detachment. However, it can create vision problems, such as blurry distance vision or double vision. Glasses can help these problems in many cases.

Distance Vision Changes

• As WebMD states, the application of a scleral buckle to the eye can change the eyeball's shape. This change in shape typically causes the eyeball to elongate slightly. This may cause the patient's distance vision to become blurry. Glasses may be required to improve the distance vision.

Double Vision

• The position of the scleral buckle may cause it to interfere with the muscles that move the eyeball. This can restrict eye movements in certain directions of gaze causing double vision in some or all directions. Glasses with a prism lens may be required to reduce or eliminate the double vision.

Vision May Never Return to Normal

• Retinal detachments have the potential to leave a person completely blind. The extent to which the glasses will help someone's eyes after a scleral buckle is applied depends partially on how much damage was done to the retina from the detachment.