To analyze the clinical characteristics and factors affecting visual outcome after surgery in rhegmatogenous retinal detachment resulting from blunt trauma.

We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 122 patients (122 eyes) who were diagnosed with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment after blunt trauma and who had been under regular observation for at least six months.

The frequency of traumatic rhegmatogenous retinal detachment was 122 eyes out of 989 total eyes with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (12.3%). The mean age was 36.3 years (7-66): 93 (76.2%) male, 29 (23.8%) female. The most common type of retinal break was a horseshoe-shaped retinal tear (31.1%), and the most common location was the superotemporal quadrant (32.8%) and on the retinal equator or anterior to the equator (90.2%). Patients older than 50 years had a shorter latent period from the traumatic event to the symptom presentation ( p =0.028). Whether the retinal detachment involve the macula, the extent of detachment, the initial visual acuity and the time interval from symptom presentation to treatment influenced on the postoperative visual recovery.

Traumatic rhegmatogenous retinal detachment had a favorable visual recovery in cases of early diagnosis. Therefore, detailed and frequent examinations of the retinal periphery after ocular trauma are important if vision is to be preserved. Older patients showed a tendency to advance into traumatic rhegmatogenous retinal detachment more rapidly after trauma than did younger patients. Therefore, elderly patients will require special intensive treatment following traumatic retinal detachment.