SIMULTANEOUS BILATERAL RETINAL-DETACHMENT

Background Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RD) has a strong bilater al tendency. It results from a chronic degenerative process, wherein b oth eyes are involved. However, simultaneous RD of both eyes is a rare finding. In a retrospective study we investigated the clinical course as well as risk factors in this kind of manifestation. Methods From 1 989 to 1994, 931 patients underwent operation because of RD in our oph thalmologic department. Eleven of these patients presented a simultane ous bilateral RD exceeding one hour. We excluded patients with consecu tive retinal detachments and retinal detachments deriving from intraoc ular surgery, trauma, tractive hole formation or heredodegeneration. R esults Seven out of 11 patients with simultaneous bilateral retinal de tachment were under 35 years of age. All of these presented multiple r ound holes (3-19). Horse-shoe tears were causative in 6 eyes; these pa tients ail were over 50 years of age. There was a preponderance of mal es (73%) in our study. Nine patients were myopic with diopters ranging from -0.5 to -11.25. Retinal reattachment by a single intervention wa s achieved in 21 eyes, wheras 3 eyes had to undergo a second operation for a redetachment. Conclusion Simultaneous bilateral RD, the most se vere type of a retinal resp. vitreoretinal degenerative process, occur s predominantly in patients under the age of 35 with multiple bilatera l round holes. We therefore conclude that multiple round holes in this group of patients are not to be regarded asa benign form of degenerat ion.