Surgical Outcomes for Primary Rhegmatogenous Retinal Detachments in Patients with Pseudophakia after Phacoemulsification

PURPOSE: To evaluate the clinical features and surgical outcomes for primary rhegmatogenous retinal detachments (RDs) in patients with pseudophakia after phacoemulsification. METHODS: The medical records of patients with pseudophakia after phacoemulsification and intraocular lens implantation who had undergone surgery for primary rhegmatogenous RDs with a minimum duration of follow-up of 12 months were reviewed retrospectively. RESULTS: A total of 104 patients were enrolled in this study and 106 eyes were analyzed. Post-operative retinal attachment was achieved in 87 of the eyes (82.1%) and the final visual acuities (logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution) were improved to 0.65 ± 0.49 from the baseline measurement of 1.51 ± 1.14 (p < 0.001). Re-operations were performed in 24 of the eyes (22.6%) and there were no visible retinal breaks in 30 of the eyes (28.3%). The failure to identify a retinal break during surgery was associated with a lower rate of retinal reattachment, worse final visual acuity, and a higher rate of re-operation (p = 0.002, p = 0.02, and p = 0.002, respectively). The location of the identified retinal break was more common in the superotemporal quadrant than in the other quadrants. CONCLUSIONS: The inability to identify a retinal break during surgery was associated with a poor final outcome. Other factors were less important for the functional and anatomic success in patients with pseudophakic RDs.