[Retinal detachment in children: differential diagnosis and current therapy]

The number of retinal detachments in children is very low in comparison to the number of retinal detachments in adults, only 3.2 - 6.6% occur in children. The main predisposing factors are trauma, associated conditions, myopia and retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) i. e., stage 4 and 5 and late stage of ROP. Furthermore, retinal detachment in children can be idiopathic. These eyes are not associated with any identified ocular or systemic comorbidity. Associated conditions include hereditary vitreoretinal disorders (e. g., morbus Stickler, X-linked juvenile retinoschisis, Marfan syndrome, familiär exsudative vitreoretinopathy), malformations (e. g., persistent hyperplastic primary vitreous, coloboma) and retinal detachment following cataract surgery. In a few cases retinal detachment is caused by uveitis and by Coats disease. Delayed presentation and proliferative vitreoretinopathy are a common problem and in most eyes primary pars plana vitrectomy is necessary. It is important to perform consequent postoperative follow-up. The functional and anatomic outcomes of retinal detachment in children are less successful than in adults. Further surgical innovations and aetiology-specific treatment strategies are required to improve the outcome in this group. Recent results show that the intravitreal use of VEGF inhibitors to treat proliferative retinopathy (ROP) in children is effective, but we need further information about safety and side-effects.