The retrospective study was aimed at demonstrating anatomical and functional results of surgical treatment in patients with bilateral idiopathic retinal dialysis (BIRD). In the period of 1985–2001 the authors operated on BIRD in 10 eyes of five patients (three men and two women). No eye injury or inflammation was present in the case history of the patients. The age of the patients was between 11 and 30 years, the mean age was 19.2 years. The symptoms typical for retinal detachment were present in four eyes only and absent in the other six eyes. Hyperopia of both eyes in analogy with myopia of both eyes was observed in two patients, respectively, whereasemmetropia was present in one patient.The retinal dialysis (RD) occured in lower temporal quadrant in all eyes (100 %), in one eye (10 %) it also occurred together with an discontinuous RD in upper temporal quadrant and in another eye it was extended into lower nasal quadrant. Demarcation lines were present in 5 eyes (50 %), subretinal solid strands in 1 eye (10 %). Scleral buckling procedureswereperformedas the primarysurgical procedure in all 10 eyes of 5patients. Eight eyes was operated on with the use of segmental circumferential sponge buckles of siliconeandtwoeyeswiththeuseof encircling elementsofsolid silicone. Retina was successfully reattached postoperatively in 9 eyes (90%) and remained detached in one eye (10 %). The visual acuity preoperatively 6/12 or better remained unchanged postoperatively in 8 eyes (80 %). The visual acuity postoperatively improved in 1 eye (10 %) and in 1 eye (10 %) visual acuity was decreased. The mean period of observation of the patients was 86 months. The necessity of a routine examination of the extreme retinal periphery of the fellow asymptomatic eye of the young adult with no history of trauma and with the retinal detachment associated with retinal dialysis in one eye is also discussed.

        Key words: retinal detachment, retinal dialysis, bilateral idiopathic retinal dialysis, scleral buckling procedure