We analyzed a total of 473 eyes with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment and macular involvement for significant factors relating to anatomic success and a favorable visual outcome of 6/15 (20/50) or better. The overall success rate was 90% (427 of 473 eyes). Visual acuities of 6/15 (20/50) or better postoperatively were present in 37% (174 of 470 eyes). Important factors related to both anatomic success and favorable functional results were preoperative visual acuities of 6/15 (20/50) or better, retinal detachments that were less than total, detachments with tears located at or anterior to the equator, absence of giant retinal tears, absence of either preoperative ocular hypotony (tension less than 5 mm Hg) or ocular hypertension (intraocular pressure greater than 20 mm Hg), detachments managed by nondrainage techniques, a single operation with less than 50 cryoapplications, and noncircumferential buckling. Among the other factors related to favorable visual results were detachments lasting less than one month, a shallowly rather than highly detached macula, the absence of fixed retinal folds, a patient age of less than 60 years, and the absence of postoperative choroidal detachments sufficient to cause glaucoma. We found no statistical relationship between either anatomic success or functional result and the presence of aphakia, demarcation lines, vitreous hemorrhage, detachments of the pars plana epithelium, or predetachment glaucoma being treated.