Infection after sponge implantation for scleral buckling.

In one series of 900 explant scleral buckling procedures, 31 had to be removed over seven years because of contamination. Of 1,000 explants from a parallel series, 27 had to be removed. In the second series, requirement of a sterile conjunctiva preoperatively and the use of prophylactic antibiotics postoperatively did not significantly reduce the rate of infection.