Phenotype and Outcomes of Phakic Versus Pseudophakic Primary Rhegmatogenous Retinal Detachments: Cataract or Cataract Surgery Related?

PURPOSE

To compare phakic and pseudophakic primary rhegmatogenous retinal detachments (RD) and, within phakic RD, eyes with and without cataract.

DESIGN

Retrospective comparative clinical study.

METHODS

Setting: Online database of prospectively collected data. StudyPopulation: Patients aged ≥50 years who had undergone RD repair.

PROCEDURE

Data included baseline demographic and clinical features, surgical details, and anatomical and functional outcomes. Univariate analysis was performed to compare pseudophakic with phakic RD, and phakic RD with and without cataract. Age and sex dependency of variables was analyzed and the association of preoperative variables with final visual acuity was assessed using multivariate analysis. MainOutcomeMeasures: Preoperative features, intraoperative management, postoperative outcomes, association of preoperative features with postoperative outcomes.

RESULTS

Of 4,231 eyes, 1,212 were pseudophakic and 3,019 phakic, among which 310 had cataract. Pseudophakic RD showed significant differences compared with phakic RD, including older age, higher prevalence of male sex, foveal detachment, grade C proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR), inferior retinal breaks, inferior retinal involvement, and greater RD extent. Despite the more advanced features of pseudophakic RD, pseudophakia was a positive factor for visual outcome. Contralateral RD was more frequent in pseudophakic than phakic RD eyes (P < .0001). Within phakic RD, phakic RD with cataract exhibited several similarities with pseudophakic RD, including greater age, more frequent foveal detachment, PVR, and greater RD extent.

CONCLUSIONS

The presenting features differed significantly between pseudophakic and phakic RD, with greater occurrence of inferior retinal breaks and inferior retinal involvement in particular. Phakic RD with cataract shared several features in common with pseudophakic RD.