Retinal detachment in Olmsted County, Minnesota, 1976 through 1995

Objective: To estimate the incidence of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment ( RD) in a geographically defined population and to compare the probability o f RD in residents after cataract extraction with the probability of RD in r esidents who did not have cataract extraction. Design: Rochester Epidemiology Project databases were used to perform a ret rospective population-based incidence study of RD diagnosed between 1976 an d 1995 with cohort analyses of the influence of risk factors on the occurre nce of RD. Participants: The population of Olmsted County, Minnesota, participated. Main Outcome Measure: Incidence rates of RD adjusted to the age and gender distribution of the 1990 U.S, white population were measured. Results: Three hundred eleven incident cases of rhegmatogenous RD were iden tified. The mean annual age- and gender-adjusted incidence rate of rhegmato genous RD was 17.9 per 100,000 persons (95% confidence interval [CI], 15.9- 19.9), For idiopathic rhegmatogenous RD alone, the mean annual age- and gen der-adjusted incidence rate was 12.6 (95% CI, 10.9-14.3) per 100,000 person s. Ten years after phacoemulsification and extracapsular cataract extractio n, the estimated cumulative probability of RD was 5.5 (95% CI, 3.4-7.6) tim es as high as would have been expected in a similar group of county residen ts not undergoing cataract surgery. Conclusions: Cataract surgery is associated with a significantly elevated l ong-term cumulative probability of retinal detachment.