We reviewed 745 cases of retinal detachment which had been successfully treated by scleral buckling and had presented without preoperative ocular problems precluding visual recovery. Final visual acuity (VA) was 0.5 or better in 517 cases (69.4%). The main causes of final VA below 0.5 were photoreceptor dysfunction, macular pucker, cystoid macular edema, and intraoperative retrofoveal hemorrhage. Stepwise logistic regression analysis revealed that five variables predicted visual failure: patient's age of 71 years or more; preoperative VA reduced either to light perception counting fingers or to 0.1-0.4; low or high macular detachment for more than 7 days; grade B preoperative proliferative vitreoretinopathy, and intraoperative hemorrhage.