Natural History of Retinal Breaks Without Detachment

Abstract

One hundred seventy-six eyes with retinal breaks without detachment or with subclinical detachment were followed up without prophylactic treatment for six months to 16 years. In 31 (18%) progression occurred. The likelihood of progression was greater in the following circumstances: (1) fresh symptomatic horseshoe tears, (2) breaks with subclinical detachment, (3) aphakic eyes. Progression in eyes containing breaks with opercula or round holes without opercula or in phakic eyes containing asymptomatic horseshoe tears was unusual (5% to 10%). In the patient first seen with a fresh clinical retinal detachment in one eye due to a horseshoe tear or hole with operculum and an asymptomatic break of either of these types without detachment in the fellow eye, the eye with the asymptomatic break usually represents the chronologically more-advanced stage of vitreoretinal degeneration.