Retinotomy, performed during vitreous surgery, can be helpful in complicated cases of retinal detachment. The incisions are made with right-angled scissors in the peripheral retina. I have used this technique successfully in the treatment of a 21-year-old man who had a large retinal break with a shrunken edge, a 13-year-old boy with severe myopia and taut subretinal strands, and a 20-year-old man with an incarcerated retina.