title: Prophylactic treatment of the fellow eye of patients with retinal detachment: a retrospective study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Controversy exists over the prophylactic treatment of predisposing lesions to prevent retinal detachment.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seven hundred sixty consecutive phakic fellow eyes with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment in the first eye were examined by the same vitreoretinal surgeon before detachment surgery and for a follow-up period ranging from 1 to 72 months, with a mean of 36 months. During this period, in 305 fellow eyes (40.1%) predisposing retinal lesions were present and prophylactic treatments (photocoagulation, cryotherapy or scleral buckle) were performed independently of vitreous status. The results were then compared with the incidence of bilateral RD without prophylaxis reported in Folk and Burton's study of 1982; the two study's data were well matched and showed no significant difference in regards to age, sex, incidence myopia > or =-2.5 and incidence of lattice degeneration. The objective was to investigate whether or not prophylactic treatment is able to avert retinal detachment in the fellow eye.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The age of the patients with peripheral retinal lesions was correlated inversely with the presence of myopia. Nine eyes out of 305 eyes treated (2.9%) developed a retinal detachment, reducing the rate of bilateral retinal detachment to 1.2% (9 eyes out of 760).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This incidence of bilaterality (1.2%) was lower than the incidence of retinal detachment in fellow eyes not prophylactically treated as reported in the literature, and there exists a highly statistically significant difference between this study's data of 1.2% after prophylaxis and a 13.4% rate of bilaterality as reported by Folk without prophylaxis (P=0.0000).
authors.affiliation: Section of Ophthalmology, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Catania, Santa Marta Hospital, 36, via Clementi, 95100 Catania, Italy. Clinica Oculistica@mbox.unict.it
authors.forename: Teresio
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Avitabile
authors.forename: Vincenza
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Bonfiglio
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Reibaldi
authors.forename: Benedetto
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Torrisi
authors.forename: Alfredo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Reibaldi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D003452:Cryosurgery / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D017075:Laser Coagulation / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012163:Retinal Detachment / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012591:Scleral Buckling / Q000379:methods*