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.