Four hundred ten eyes with retinal detachment and proliferative vitreoretinopathy underwent closed vitrectomy with membrane peeling, scleral buckling, and intraocular air injection. The retina was reattached in 243 eyes (59.3%). Useful vision was attained in 223 eyes. The preoperative proliferative vitreoretinopathy was clinically graded in six groups of increasing severity (C-1, C-2, C-3, D-1, D-2, D-3). From grades C-2 to D-3, a significant trend related a decreased rate of retinal reattachment with increased severity. However, grade C-1 showed a significantly lower success rate than did grade C-2. Scleral buckling alone may be the treatment of choice in grade C-1 eyes. Grade D-3 eyes had the worst anatomic and functional results. Preoperatively, there was a significant relationship between increasing severity of proliferative vitreoretinopathy and frequency of aphakia, and aphakic eyes showed a significantly lower rate of retinal reattachment than did phakic eyes.