Experimental retinectomy in the rabbit.

We developed a model for creating retinectomies of various sizes in phakic rabbit eyes and examined the effects of retinal attachment, epiretinal membrane formation, and intraocular pressure. Eleven retinectomized eyes with an average defect size of 5.6 disc areas and a postoperative followup from 48 to 62 days remained attached without retinopexy, and pigmented scarring involving the photoreceptor/retinal pigment epithelial layers was observed at the margins of the retinectomy. No sign of epiretinal membrane formation was detected by ophthalmoscopic or histologic examination. Postoperative ocular tensions were similar between retinectomized and unoperated control eyes. This experimental study in the avascular rabbit retina suggests that retinectomies do not invariably cause epiretinal membranes or ocular hypotension.