Objective To evaluate the effect of vitreoretinal surgery on tear film.Methods Ninety-seven patients (97 eyes) of retinal detachment undergoing surgical therapy including vitrectomy, scleral buckling or scleral encircling were included in this study. Uncomfortable eye symptoms were inquired and tear break-up time (BUT), Schirmer Ⅰ test (SⅠt), corneal fluorescein staining (CFS), tear meniscus height (TMH) were measured at three days before surgery and at six time-points after surgery (two, 14 days and one, two, three, six months). Thirty patients were randomly chosen to receive impression cytology of conjunctiva at three days before surgery and at four time-points after surgery (one, two, three, six months).Results Comparing with the preoperative results, at the first three time-points after surgery (two, 14 days, one month), uncomfortable symptoms (t=-25.082,-9.966, -4.718,P＜0.01) and CFS scores(t=-6.244,-3.716,-4.683, P＜0.01) increased, tear breakup time (BUT) shortened greatly (t=9.960, 5.627, 4.953; P＜0.01). SⅠt and TMH increased significantly（t=-25.931,-5.839;-25.345,-3.873;P＜0.01） at two and 14 days after surgery. The number of conjunctival goblet cell decreased significantly at one month after surgery（t=2.259, P＜0.05).All those tear film parameters returned to preoperative level at two months after surgery.Conclusion Vitreoretinal surgery influences tear film stability transiently, and the tear film function tends to restore in two months after the operation.
