Prognosis of visual acuity after surgery for detached retina, with special reference to the unaffected eye

In 600 patients with successfully operated unilateral retinal detachment, the visual acuity prognosis of the operated eye was studied in relation to that of the normal eye. Within 2 years after operation, most of these patients were in the following three groups: (1) visual acuity worse than 0.5 in the non-detached retina and worse than 0.1 in the reattached one; (2) visual acuity better than 1.0 in the non-detached retina and worse than 0.3 in the reattached one; and (3) visual acuity better than 1.0 in the non-detached retina and better than 0.8 in the reattached one. Some of the patients in group 2 showed greater improvement of the visual acuity in the reattached retina, which occasionally became superior to that in the non-detached one. In spite of possible improvement until 2 years after operation, the visual acuity in the reattached retina was apt to decrease after more than 5 years following operation. The presence of macular detachment was ill for the recovery of visual acuity. About 30% of the patients with a visual acuity of about 1.0 in the non-detached retina showed no improvement of the visual acuity in the reattached retina. About 50% of the patients with successful surgery for retinal detachment had a difference of more than 0.6 in visual acuity between the non-detached and the detached retinas.