Fahad F Shaikh, Abdul Fatah Memon, Syed Jamil Ahmed, Waseem H Jafri.
Risk factors and presentation of giant retinal tear.
J Liaquat Uni Med Health Sci Jan ;8(2):160-4.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the risk factors, characteristics and presentation of Giant Retinal Tear. DESIGN: Descriptive case-series study. SETTING: Al-Ibrahim Eye Hospital, Isra Postgraduate Institute of Ophthalmology, Karachi; from January 2001 to July 2007. METHODS: All patients diagnosed as having Giant Retinal Tear (GRT) in the Surgical Retina Clinic, were included in the study. The details of patients’ demographics, ocular history, risk factors, refractive status, ocular examination, systemic examination, treatment offered and final outcome were recorded in a specially designed proforma. RESULTS: A total number of 42 eyes of 38 patients with GRT was included in the study. The causative factors in our study were vitreo-retinal degeneration, blunt ocular trauma and complicated cataract surgery. Myopia was the most common ocular risk factor. Most of the patients presented to our hospital after 4 weeks of onset of symptoms with total retinal detachment, advanced proliferative vitroretinopathy and poor visual acuity. Pars Plana Vitrectomy with Silicone oil tamponade, with or without Scleral Buckling was performed in 35 eyes. CONCLUSION: The major risk factors for GRT are peripheral retinal degenerations, high myopia, ocular trauma, GRT in the fellow eye, family history of retinal detachment, complicated cataract surgery and connective tissue disorders. Various socio-economic issues and inadequate patient counseling are responsible for late presentation of patients that leads to extensive PVR.

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