Eyelid fistula caused by a scleral buckle

Complications of scleral buckle procedures for retinal detachments are rather uncommon yet may result in a broad scope of problems. The authors report a case of a chronic eyelid fistula caused by a scleral buckle. The patient was an 81-year-old woman who presented with a nonhealing left upper eyelid wound that was repeatedly misdiagnosed as a chalazion, but diagnostic workup revealed an extruded scleral buckle to be the cause. The patient was treated surgically with removal of the scleral buckle and full-thickness fistula repair and her wound healed well. A scleral buckle can erode through conjunctiva and the full thickness of an eyelid, causing an eyelid fistula and necessitate removal of the buckle.