OBJECTIVE To report a case of choroidal neovascular membrane after vitreoretinal surgery in a patient with macular hole-induced retinal detachment. METHODS Retrospective observational case report. METHODS A 64-year-old lady presented with sudden drop in vision in the right eye since 20 days. Her best-corrected visual acuity was 6/36 in the right eye and 6/18 in the left eye. She was diagnosed with retinal detachment with a macular hole in the right eye. She underwent vitrectomy with internal limiting membrane peeling and gas tamponade for the retinal detachment. Internal limiting membrane peeling was performed after staining with brilliant blue green dye and over the detached retina. Drainage of the subretinal fluid was performed through the macular hole and drainage retinotomy. Four months of postoperative examination revealed a scarred subfoveal choroidal neovascular membrane and retinal pigment epithelial atrophy surrounding it. This was confirmed by fluorescein angiography and optical coherence tomography. CONCLUSIONS Visual loss secondary to choroidal neovascular membrane can occur because of surgical trauma to the retinal pigment epithelium and Bruch membrane. Drainage of the subretinal fluid should be preferably avoided through the macular hole to prevent this complication.