Internal drainage of a retinal macrocyst with an Nd:YAG laser to aid primary retinal reattachment.

Retinal macrocysts are an occasional finding in patients with long-standing retinal detachments. The cysts usually do not require any specific treatment during procedures to repair retinal detachment and resolve spontaneously after retinal reattachment. However, if the cyst is adjacent to a retinal break and prevents its closure, the retinal reattachment procedure can fail. We describe a technique using the Nd:YAG laser to perforate the retinal cyst postoperatively, which allows for subsequent break closure and retinal reattachment.