Visual prognosis following rhegmatogenous retinal detachment in northern Gran Canaria: a retrospective clinical study

Background: Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment is the most common ophthalmic emergency requiring surgical treatment, with a worldwide incidence of approximately 1 case per 10,000 people per year.Without treatment, this condition inevitably leads to blindness.Despite advances in vitreoretinal surgery, rhegmatogenous retinal detachment remains a major cause of visual morbidity and accounts for a substantial proportion of retinal emergencies.At the time of diagnosis, one of the main concerns of patients is whether vision will recover after surgical repair.Objectives: To analyze the potential prognostic factors associated with postoperative visual acuity and to identify those that may be independent predictors.Methods: A retrospective study was conducted.The following independent variables were collected: age, sex, best-corrected visual acuity at diagnosis, location of the retinal tear, and macular status (on/off).The dependent variable was postoperative best-corrected visual acuity.Results: Data were collected from patients treated at Hospital Universitario de Gran Canaria Dr. Negrín over a 5-year period, yielding a total of 357 cases (218 men [61.1%] and 139 women [38.9%]), with a mean age of 57 years.In our sample, retinal tears were located in the nasal quadrant in 78 patients (25.7%), the superior quadrant in 178 (58.6%), the temporal quadrant in 139 (45.7%), and the inferior quadrant in 99 (32.6%);additionally, 18 patients (5.9%) presented with a macular hole.The macula was attached in 98 patients (32.2%) and detached in 206 (67.8%).Conclusions: Best-corrected visual acuity at diagnosis, patient age, sex, retinal tear location, and preoperative macular status were identified as potential prognostic factors for visual outcomes following rhegmatogenous retinal detachment in our healthcare area.