The fellow eye of patients with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment.
OBJECTIVE
To determine how often the fellow eyes of patients with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) without proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) harbor vision-threatening conditions at presentation and during follow-up.


METHODS
Retrospective, observational case series.


METHODS
Two hundred forty-eight patients with RRD without PVR were studied.


METHODS
The authors observed the fellow eye of patients with RRD for vision-threatening pathology.


METHODS
Detection of vision-threatening pathology in the fellow eye of patients with RRD without PVR.


RESULTS
Two hundred forty-eight patients were observed for an average of 5.2 years. One hundred fifty-seven vision-threatening events or diagnoses occurred in the fellow eye, including pre-existing and newly diagnosed conditions, 97 (62%) of which were rhegmatogenous in nature. Fifty-six patients (23%) had retinal detachments in their fellow eye, including those with a history of RRD repair (28 eyes), those presenting with bilateral RRD (4 eyes), and those developing new RRD during follow-up (24 eyes). In addition, 1 patient developed recurrent retinal detachment in the fellow eye during follow-up. Retinal tears were diagnosed and treated with laser retinopexy or cryotherapy in 30 (12%) fellow eyes (4 before the initial examination, 7 upon initial examination, and 19 on follow-up). Lattice degeneration was present in 27 (11%) fellow eyes.


CONCLUSIONS
Patients who develop RRD are at considerable risk for developing vision-threatening events, particularly rhegmatogenous events, in the fellow eye.
Gonzales
Christine R
CR
Jules Stein Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, 100 Stein Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA. gonzales@jsei.ucla.edu
Gupta
Anurag
A
Schwartz
Steven D
SD
Kreiger
Allan E
AE
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012163:Retinal Detachment / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D014792:Visual Acuity