Choroidal Detachment Following Glaucoma Surgery

The presence of serous or hemorrhagic fluid accumulation in the suprachoroidal space is defined as a choroidal detachment (Bellows et al., Ophthalmology 88(11):1107–1115, 1981). The pathophysiology of this fluid collection is not clearly understood, but it occurs because of multiple mechanisms, including ocular hypotony, surgical trauma, altered integrity of the ocular vasculature, and inflammation. A choroidal detachment can be associated with several clinical settings such as a combined cataract and glaucoma surgery, a cataract extraction, or a retinal detachment, as a result of ocular inflammation, or can even be a spontaneous development (Berke et al., Ophthalmology 94(2):154–162, 1987). It can occur at any time in the postsurgical period but most frequently during the first week.