PVD is linked to detachment

Most rhegmatogenous retinal detachments - those where the neuroretina peels away from the underlying pigment layer after a tear or hole has formed - are associated with posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) and related tractional tears.

A study in this month's Ophthalmology journal looked at data from over 1,000 cases of detachment taken from the Scottish Retinal Detachment Study. Analysis showed that in 86.2 per cent of cases, the detachment was attributed to a horseshoe tear caused by a PVD, and a further 1.3 per cent from a PVD with giant retinal tear. The remaining 12.5 per cent were thought to be due to causes unrelated to vitreous changes, such as a schisis. The study also showed that the macula was affected in over 50 per cent of cases.