Laser Photocoagulation
Laser can be performed to repair a retinal detachment as well as to prevent one. Only small, very localized retinal detachments can be repaired by laser.  The laser is applied around the retinal defect and area of detachment.   The encircling laser photocoagulation bond prevents any more fluid from seeping through the retinal defect and causing the detachment to expand. Once the retinal adhesion has formed there will be a tiny focal area of vision loss in the area of treatment but the patient is spared further detachment and more complicated intraocular surgery. Typically this procedure is performed in the office setting.

Pneumatic retinopexy
Pneumatic retinopexy is a combination of focal laser treatment as described above along with another procedure of injecting an expanding gas bubble into the vitreous cavity.   These procedures are generally carried out in two consecutive days. It may be done in an office setting or as same day hospital outpatient surgery with local anesthetic or light general sedation. The gas is injected into the eye by syringe with a very fine short needle.  Once in the eye, the gas expands to cover the area of retinal detachment and the retinal defect.  It helps to close the retinal defect and the subretinal fluid to resorb.   While the bubble is in the eye, most of the time less than 2 weeks, patients will be instructed to position his or her head in a manner that allows the bubble to float to the area of detachment.

Scleral Buckle
Scleral buckling is the most common and traditional method of repairing a significant rhegmatogenous retinal detachment.   It is an outpatient hospital procedure performed under general anesthesia.  The buckle is a piece of silicone that is placed on the exterior of the globe corresponding to the retinal defect on the interior of the eye.   The buckle is sewn onto the sclera to indent the retina inwards towards the interior vitreous cavity so that the retinal defect is closed and supported.  The defect may be sealed externally by cryo (freezing treatment) or with laser photocoagulation interiorly.

Vitrectomy
Vitrectomy is the surgical method of evacuating the vitreous gel from inside the vitreous cavity.  Vitrectomy is used alone for some conditions, for example removing the vitreous of a patient who has experienced hemorrhaging into the interior of the eye. The blood in the vitreous that obscure vision is removed with the vitreous fluid. Vitrectomy is a component of complicated retinal detachment repair.  Scleral buckling and vitrectomy and laser and injection of an expandable gas or silicone oil vitreous substitute may all be carried out in combinations for complex detachments that have proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR).   Traction retinal detachments seen in diabetes is an example of complicated detachment with PVR.  Complicated detachments with scarring membranes,PVR, can result from other conditions including serious eye trauma, Cytomegalovirus "C.M.V." retinitis a complication of AIDS, and other conditions. Sometimes, for some people, PVR can be associated with rhegmatogenous retinal detachments.

Laser cerclage is often performed in conjunction with retinal detachment repair of complex detachments to protect against future detachments in the eye which has already experienced detachment.