Epidemiology of Primary Rhegmatogenous Retinal Detachments: An 11-Year Report from the North of Portugal

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Rhegmatogenous retinal detachments occur when a break in the retina allows the passage of fluid into the virtual space between the neurosensory retina and the retinal pigment epithelium. The purpose of this study was to conduct an epidemiological analysis of all cases of primary rhegmatogenous retinal detachments diagnosed in our hospital during the last 11 years.
METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted including 306 eyes. Cases of traumatic retinal detachments, cases in which the existence of an ocular or systemic pathology predisposed to the occurrence of a detachment, and cases of re-detachment were excluded from the analysis.
RESULTS: The mean age at presentation was 63.08 years old, with 58.8% males. The incidence peaked in January and during the summer. The mean axial length of the eyes was 24.7 mm and 62% were phakic. The most common symptom at presentation was loss of central VA. About two-thirds of the patients presented with a macula-off detachment. The average time from the onset of the first symptoms to diagnosis was 20.2 for macula-on detachments and 32.5 days for macula-off. Average time for surgery was 2.8 days in the macula-on group and 6.7 in the maculaoff group.
CONCLUSION: A slight predominance of males was found and as expected, the disease was diagnosed across all age groups. Past cataract surgery was an important risk factor for the development of the disease. Most detachments were diagnosed as macula-off, and those patients took longer to seek medical observation after the onset of symptoms, which may negatively influence the visual outcome. The time between diagnosis and surgery was much shorter in macula-on cases. Patient’s knowledge of the warning symptoms of this disease plays a key role in its timely diagnosis, which may allow a prompter treatment and better final visual results.