Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) is a serious surgical condition with significant ocular morbidity if not managed properly. Once untreatable, approaches to the repair of RRD have greatly evolved over the years, leading to outstanding primary surgical success rates. The management of RRD is often a topic of great debate. Scleral buckling, vitrectomy and pneumatic retinopexy have been used successfully for the treatment of RRD. Several factors may affect surgical success and dictate a surgeon's preference for the technique employed. In this review, we provide an overview and supporting literature on the options for RRD repair and their respective preoperative and postoperative considerations in order to guide surgical management.