Is double vision normal after a scleral buckle?

What's normal

The buckle sits under the muscles that move the eye, so it can affect how the two eyes line up. StatPearls attributes double vision after scleral buckling to mechanical muscle restriction or ischemia.

AAO's EyeNet review of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment management also lists ocular motility disorders among the notable complications after buckle surgery.

Many cases improve as swelling settles. StatPearls describes management that may start with prisms, and notes that if symptoms persist, muscle surgery with or without buckle removal can be considered. That is a conversation with your surgeon, not something to wait out indefinitely on your own.

Often noticed in the first weeks and frequently improves as swelling settles; persistent cases have treatment options.

When it stops being normal

Report any double vision to your retina surgeon, even if it seems mild, so it can be tracked and treated if it persists. Sudden double vision paired with severe pain, a rapid drop in vision, or a new shadow in your field of view needs an urgent call, because those are red flags for other problems.