Myopic and nonmyopic aphakic retinal detachment: time interval and location of breaks

Of 471 retinal detachments occurring in aphakic patients after undergoing intracapsular cataract extraction, we reviewed 318 eyes with uncomplicated aphakia (no vitreous loss). Myopic eyes had equatorial breaks 38% of the time versus 19% for nonmyopic eyes. The time interval between aphakia and detachment was shorter for myopic than for nonmyopic eyes. Our results showed a significant incidence of: (1) equatorial breaks in myopic eyes versus nonmyopic eyes (P less than 0.005), and (2) earlier detachments for myopic eyes versus nonmyopic eyes (P less than 0.005). The presence of equatorial breaks seemed to be associated with earlier retinal detachments.