Changing Concepts in the Surgical Repair of Primary Retinal Detachment: The Odyssey of a Leaking Break (part 1)

The evolution of current surgical approaches for reattaching a primary retinal detachment and issues that determine the various techniques are analyzed through a comprehensive literature review of retinal detachment surgery starting from 1929. Ongoing changes in treatment modalities during the past 35 years are discussed: a change from surgery on the entire retinal detachment to a surgery limited to the retinal break and a change from extraocular to intraocular surgery for achieving retinal reattachment.