Clinical classification and quantitative surgery of retinal detachment.

Rhegmatogenous retinal detachments were divided into four groups according to the location of the retinal breaks. The periphery group which had retinal breaks between the line of 17-19 mm from the limbus and the posterior margin of the vitreous base comprised about three quarters of the total rhegmatogenic retinal detachments. Lattice degeneration was the most important causal lesion of retinal breaks in this group. The periphery group was subdivided into the peripheral hole and the peripheral tear subgroup. The former was typical of young myopes, and the latter of elderly pwople suffering from posterior vitreous detachment. For treatment, the eyes of the periphery group could be classified according to the amount of subretinal fluid residue which was estimated after 24-48 h bed rest with binocular bandages. The quantitative surgery was planned and performed and the amount of eyeball volume lessened by the operation was equalized with the volume of subretinal fluid residue.