Management of a rhegmatogenous retinal detachment in a low-resource setting: treatment options when there is no vitreoretinal surgeon.

We discuss the case of a 49-year-old soldier with a macula-on rhegmatogenous retinal detachment in Sierra Leone. The case highlights the challenge of accessing visually preserving ophthalmic specialist care in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) for vitreoretinal (VR) disease. It highlights a shortage of VR surgeons in SSA, limited examination facilities, the larger issue of accessing specialist care urgently and the costs associated with accessing surgery out-of-country. It also identifies a shortage in epidemiological data on the issue which limits the assessment of the scale of the problem. © BMJ Publishing Group Ltd (unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.