Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment is an eye disease that can lead to blindness. Timely and effective surgical treatment is the key to cure this disease, including pars plana vitrectomy and scleral buckling surgery, at present. Scleral buckling is a simple and effective treatment for the uncomplicated retinal detachment, but the recovery of visual acuity is influenced by many factors. The subretinal fluid is an important factor that can lead to the delayed recovery of visual acuity. This review is aimed at the present study of subretinal fluid after scleral buckling surgery.