Experimental retinal detachment. I. Effect of subretinal fluid composition on reabsorption rate and intraocular pressure.

Retinal detachments (RDs) were produced in rhesus monkeys by a 1-ml subretinal fluid injection combined with simultaneous vitreous aspiration. Four groups of five eyes each were studied according to type of fluid injected: autologous serum, glutathione-bicarbonate Ringer's solution (GBR), silicone oil, or no fluid (sham operation). Retinal detachments created with GBR reattached within two to seven days; RDs created with serum decreased in volume at a rate ten times slower than that of eyes detached with GBR; RDs created with silicone oil and sham-operated eyes remained unchanged during three weeks of observation. Active transport of fluid out of the subretinal space best explains these findings. Transient hypotony developed in all eyes in association with postoperative inflammation and reduced aqueous humor formation. Eyes with persistent detachment (serum and silicone oil) retained mild hypotony three weeks after operation, suggesting a pressure-lowering effect of the detachment itself.