The impact of duration on the recurrence of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment: optimal cutoff value.

Purpose: To assess the impact of symptom duration on the recurrence of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) and to determine the threshold symptom duration for recurrence.

Patient And Methods: In this non-comparative, observational case series, a retrospective evaluation was made of the records of patients with RRD at baseline and during the postoperative follow-up period, in respect of postoperative anatomic outcome, prognostic factors for recurrent retinal detachment and the cutoff value of symptom duration.

Results: Recurrent retinal detachment was detected in 33 (17.8%) of 185 patients following primary retinal detachment surgery. The surgery type in phakic patients and preoperative symptom duration had a significantly high odds ratio for evidence of surgical failure. According to the ROC analysis, the threshold preoperative symptom duration was 20.5 days.

Conclusion: Our results showed that early reattachment surgery is necessary to lower the risk of retinal redetachment. The threshold at which RRD recurrence significantly increases is 20.5 days.