Fifteen eyes with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment that were successfully reattached with scleral buckling were studied histopathologically after enucleation or autopsy. Postoperative visual acuities ranged from 20/25 to 5/200. Epiretinal membranes were present in 9 of 15 eyes (60%) and cystoid macular edema was present in 4 of 15 (26%). Although the reattached retina was of normal morphology by light microscopy in 9 of 15 eyes, significant atrophy of outer retinal layers was noted in 4 of 15 eyes (26%). In 5 of 13 patients, reduced postoperative vision could be histopathologically correlated with macular edema or lack of retinal regeneration, but there was no compelling histopathologic explanation for reduced vision noted in 5 other cases.