Twenty patients with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment were treated by pneumatic retinopexy using filtered air.

Fifteen eyes (75%) were reattached each with a single operation. Of the five eyes that failed, three eyes were eventually reattached with subsequent surgical procedure. This resulted in a 90% overall reattaclunent rate. Fifteen (88.24%) of 17 phakic eyes were reattached with one operation, whereas all aphakic eyes failed to reattach. Twelve eyes (60%) achieved a final visual acuity of 6/18 or better. Complications included the development of a new break (2 cases) and proliferative vitreoretinopathy (2 cases).

Pneumatic retinopexy using filtered air can be performed in some selected phakic retinal detachment with a comparable success rate to the procedure using expansile gases.