Posterior vitreous detachment – prevalence of and risk factors for retinal tears

Figures & data

Table 1 Demographics of all patients diagnosed with vitreous detachment, retinal tears, or vitreous hemorrhage at the Sahlgrenska University Hospital during a 3-month period in 2009

Parameter, n=365	Years or n (%)
Age, years
Mean (SD)	62.8 (10.6)
Median (range)	63.0 (12–94)
Sex, n (%)
Female	228 (62.5%)
Male	137 (37.5%)
Diagnosis code (ICD-10),* n (%)
Vitreous detachment (H43.8)	300 (82.2%)
Retinal tear (H33.3)	48 (13.2%)
Vitreous hemorrhage (H43.1)	17 (4.6%)
Objective findings, n (%)
Retinal tear	53 (14.5%)
Hemorrhage#	83 (22.7%)
Checkup consultations performed, n (%)	75 (20.6%)

Notes:

* In the medical journal, each patient was given only one main diagnosis, which was used to classify the patients in the study.

# Including retinal and vitreal hemorrhages but excluding hemorrhages related to diabetic retinopathy.

Abbreviations: ICD-10, International Classification of Diseases No 10; SD, standard deviation.

Table 2 Clinical characteristics in patients with vitreous detachment-related symptoms and possible predictors for retinal tears

Parameters (n=426)*	No retinal tear (n=320)	Retinal tear (n=106)	P-value**
Age, years
Mean (SD)	63.7 (10.8)	62.6 (10.3)	0.37‡
Median (IQR)	64.5 (59–70)	63 (59–68)
Sex, n (%)
Female	204 (63.7%)	56 (52.8%)	0.05§
Male	116 (36.3%)	50 (47.2%)
Eye, n (%)
Right	171 (53.4)	50 (47.2)	0.31§
Left	149 (46.6)	56 (52.8)
Symptoms*
Floaters, n=316, n=102	293 (92.7%)	97 (95.1%)	0.50§
Flashes, n=313, n=101	177 (56.5%)	48 (47.5%)	0.14§
Visual impairment, n=258, n=98	28 (10.9%)	20 (20.4%)	0.02§
Duration of symptoms, n (%)*
≤1 day, n=315, n=106	80 (25.4%)	43 (40.6%)	0.004§
≤7 days, n=315, n=106	232 (73.7%)	88 (83.0%)	0.07§
Objective findings, n (%)*
Vitreous opacities, n=282, n=86	274 (97.2%)	84 (97.7%)	1.00§
Weiss ring, n=112, n=19	101 (90.2%)	17 (89.5%)	1.00§
Retinal tear	0 (0%)	106 (100%)	NA
Hemorrhage,¶ n=320, n=102	54 (16.9%)	72 (70.6%)	<0.001§
Pseudophakic, n=196, n=45	39 (19.9%)	4 (8.9%)	0.09§
Medical history, n (%)*,#
Previous symptoms in same eye, n=290, n=102	50 (17.2%)	13 (12.7%)	0.35§
Previously sought care in same eye, n=292, n=102	41 (14.0%)	13 (12.7%)	0.87§
Previous laser therapy in same eye, n=293, n=102	21 (7.2%)	6 (5.9%)	0.82§
Previous symptoms in other eye, n=291, n=102	47 (16.2%)	12 (11.8%)	0.34§
Future pathology, n (%)*,||
Same eye, n=304, n=103
Vitreoretinal complications£	26 (8.6%)	29 (28.2%)	<0.001§
Vitreous detachment	17 (5.6%)	17 (16.5%)	0.001§
Vitreous hemorrhage	4 (1.3%)	2 (1.9%)	0.65§
Retinal tear	4 (1.3%)	4 (3.9%)	0.12§
Retinal detachment	1 (0.3%)	6 (5.8%)	0.001§
Other eye, n=304, n=102
Vitreoretinal complications£	39 (12.8%)	30 (29.1%)	0.001§
Vitreous detachment	30 (9.9%)	21 (20.6%)	0.01§
Vitreous hemorrhage	3 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0.58§
Retinal tear	4 (1.3%)	6 (5.9%)	0.02§
Retinal detachment	2 (0.7%)	2 (2.0%)	0.26§

Notes:

* Including all patients diagnosed with vitreous detachment/hemorrhage or retinal tears in February–April 2009 (n=365) and all patients diagnosed with retinal tears or hemorrhage in May–July 2009 (n=61). When data are missing, specific n is given for that variable.

** A P-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant.

‡ Student’s t-test.

§ Fisher’s exact test.

¶ Including retinal and vitreal hemorrhages, but excluding hemorrhages related to diabetic retinopathy.

# Refers to previous symptoms, sought care, or laser treatment related to vitreous detachment or hemorrhage, retinal tears, or rhegmatogenous retinal detachment within the last 7 years.

|| Includes vitreous detachment or hemorrhage, retinal tears, or rhegmatogenous retinal detachment with a follow-up time of 4.5 years.

£ Including vitreous detachment/hemorrhage and retinal tears/detachment.

Abbreviations: IQR, interquartile range; NA, not applicable; SD, standard deviation.

Figure 1 Duration of symptoms of vitreous detachment for patients with and without retinal tears prior to consulting an ophthalmologist.

Notes: Duration of symptoms of vitreous detachment is given in days including 315 patients without and 106 patients with retinal tears. All subjects were examined at the Department of Ophthalmology at Sahlgrenska University Hospital between February and July 2009.