Abstract

Background: Primary phakic rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) without posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) represents a unique clinical entity that behaves differently from RRD associated with PVD. While previous studies have reported the long term findings in the fellow eye of patients with RRD and PVD, the outcome of the fellow eye of patients with RRD without PVD is not known.

Methods: Consecutive patients with RRD not associated with PVD were studied retrospectively. The authors evaluated the fellow eye for retinal detachment or other vision threatening pathology.

Results: 27 patients (mean age 32 years) were studied with follow up of between 9 and 326 months (mean 111 months). 24 (89%) were myopic. Bilateral retinal detachment occurred in eight patients (30%). On initial examination, 17 patients (63%) had retinal findings (including lattice degeneration, atrophic holes, and/or cystic retinal tufts) in the fellow eye that might predispose them to retinal detachment. 14 vision threatening events or diagnoses occurred (nine of which were rhegmatogenous in nature) in the fellow eye including eight retinal detachments, one traumatic PVD without retinal tears, one retinal tear after PVD, one diagnosis of pigmentary glaucoma needing trabeculectomy, two visually significant cataracts, and one diagnosis of chorioretinitis. 23 patients (85%) maintained visual acuity better than 20/50, with most retaining 20/20 vision in the fellow eye.

Conclusions: Patients who experience RRD without PVD are at risk of developing vision threatening events in the contralateral eye and, as such, the fellow eye should be followed carefully.