A prospective clinical study was conducted to determine wether preoperative proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR), grade B, was a significant risk factor in the development of severe PVR after surgery for retinal detachment repair. Two series of consecutive retinal detachments associated with horseshoe retinal tears were compared. The first series included 40 eyes of 40 patients with preoperative PVR, grade O-A. The second series included 30 eyes of 27 patients with preoperative PVR, grade B. All eyes were operated on with conventional microsurgical techniques. At the first operation, no vitrectomies were carried out in any eyes. The incidence of postoperative PVR, grades C and D, was 20% (6/30 eyes) after a single operation in the series of eyes with preoperative PVR, grade B as compared to 0% in the series of eyes with preoperative PVR, grade O-A. The difference between the two groups was statistically significant (P = 0.01). It was also found that the incidence of postoperative proliferative PVR was significantly higher in eyes with preoperative vitreous hemorrhage (30.7%) as compared to eyes with no preoperative vitreous hemorrhage (0%; P = 0.02). Incomplete posterior vitreous detachment without collapse of the vitreous gel occurred significantly more frequently in eyes with preoperative proliferative vitreoretinopathy, grade B (68.4%, than in eyes with preoperative proliferative vitreoretinopathy, grade O-A (27.5%; P = 0.02).