Clinical findings in acute posterior vitreous detachment

To analyze the typical presentation of acute posterior vitreous detachment (PVD), including demographics and prevalence of various treatable findings in the same and fellow eye.

Retrospective analysis of medical records from 2346 patients with acute PVD. Descriptive statistics were generated on age, sex, contact date, visual acuity, and slit lamp, and fundoscopy findings. Multivariate regressions were used to generate odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals (CI) to quantify associations between variables.

A total of 4692 eyes from 2346 patients were analyzed. Most patients were female (60.5%) with an average age of 62.8 years old. Overall, 605 patients (25.8%) had any additional ocular finding on fundus exam, including pigmentation (N = 184, 7.8%), lattice degeneration (N = 158, 6.7%), tear (N = 131, 5.6%), and hole (N = 131, 5.2%). Unilateral retinal detachment was present in 26 patients (1.1%), and these patients demonstrated a similar rate (26.9%) of additional ocular findings compared to the entire sample size. Female sex (OR 1.21, 95% CI 1.03-1.43, p = 0.020) was independently associated with presentation during spring or summer.

Acute PVD is associated with a number of risk factors and peripheral lesions. These findings may be useful in treating and predicting the course and development of PVD.