Purpose: To describe and evaluate demographic, clinical features, prognostic factors, and rate of success of surgery and visual outcomes in patients with late presentation of retinal detachment.
Methods: A retrospective, comparative, observational case series of patients with late presentation retinal detachment, defined as retinal detachment with the loss of central vision for 4 weeks or more, over a period of 12 months.
Results: The mean of onset of central visual loss was 12.7 weeks (SD, 21.3). Proliferative vitreoretinopathy at the first operation was identified in 69% of eyes. The overall primary success rate was 69.2%, significantly less than that was found in outcomes for nonselected retinal detachment (primary success rate, 86%; P = 0.006). The initial best-corrected visual acuity was 20/500, and the final was 20/160 (P = 0.0027). There were no identifiable statistically significant socioeconomic factors related to late presentation.
Conclusion: A high rate of established proliferative vitreoretinopathy on presentation was identified, and although cases can be treated with good anatomical results, visual outcomes are often less favorable. Primary surgical success is lower, and more reoperations are required compared with standard retinal detachments.