Sir,

Thank you for giving us the opportunity to comment upon the letter by Scott and colleagues on success rates following primary retinal detachment surgery. The authors' comment on aiming for 0% failure rate following primary surgery, although unachievable at this time, is something that we should aspire for. The goal should be set high as in the present day the vast majority of retinal detachment surgery is carried out in specialist vitreoretinal units. In addition to achieving anatomical success, functional results should also be considered. The referral service arrangements should be such that patients with macula-on detachment are dealt with on an urgent basis to reduce the risk of macula-on detachment becoming macula-off while awaiting transfer to the specialist unit. Such an arrangement presently exists in the North Trent region benefiting this group of patients.