Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2013 Sep 27;8(9):e75693.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0075693. eCollection 2013.

Retinal detachment in southwest Ethiopia: a hospital based prospective study

Affiliations

Retinal detachment in southwest Ethiopia: a hospital based prospective study

Tsedeke Asaminew et al. PLoS One. .

Erratum in

  • PLoS One. 2013;8(10). doi:10.1371/annotation/2b8e3b87-642d-4f8a-8810-2161ad74f730

Abstract

Purpose: The incidence of retinal detachment in Blacks is generally considered to be low though there are few supporting studies in Africa. This study, thus, aimed at describing the clinical profile of patients with retinal detachment in Southwest Ethiopia.

Methods: A hospital-based study was done on all consecutive retinal detachment patients who presented to Jimma University Hospital over six months period. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect patients' sociodemographic characteristics and clinical history. Comprehensive anterior and posterior segment eye examinations were done and risk factors were sought for. Statistical tests were considered significant if P < 0.05.

Results: A total of 94 eyes of 80 patients (1.5%) had retinal detachment (RD) and about 69% of patients were symptomatic for over a month before presentation. The mean age was 41.4 years (SD ±16.5). Fourteen patients (17.5%) had bilateral RD. At presentation, 61 eyes (64.9%) were blind from RD and 11 (13.8%) patients were bilaterally blind from RD. Rhegmatogenous RD was seen in 55 eyes (58.5%) and tractional RD in 22 eyes (23.4%). The most common risk factors were ocular trauma (32 eyes, 34.0%), myopia (23 eyes, 24.5%), posterior uveitis (13 eyes, 13.8%) and diabetic retinopathy (9 eyes, 9.6%). Most retinal breaks (25 eyes, 43.1%) were superotemporal and horse-shoe tear was the most common (19 eyes, 20.2%). Macula was off in 77 eyes (81.9%) and 38 eyes (69.1% of RRD eyes) had grade C proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR). Macular status was significantly associated with PVR (P=0.011), and duration of symptoms (RR=1.25, 95%CI: 1.059-1.475, P=0.040).

Conclusions: A significant numbers of patients with ocular problem had retinal detachment, and nearly two third of the patients presented late. Trauma and myopia were the most important risk factors. People should be educated to improve their health seeking behavior and use eye safety precautions to prevent ocular trauma.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Types of retinal detachment (RD) among study patients.
(RRD, rhegmatogenous RD; TRD, tractional RD; ERD, exudative RD).
Figure 2
Figure 2. Risk factors of retinal detachment (RD) in eyes of the study patients.
Figure 3
Figure 3. Grade of proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) and macular status of eyes with RRD.

References

    1. Pascolini D, Mariotti SP (2012) Global estimates of visual impairment: 2010. Br J Ophthalmol; 96(5): 614-618. doi:10.1136/bjophthalmol-2011-300539. PubMed: 22133988. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Berhane Y, Worku A, Bejiga A, Adamu L, Alemayehu W et al. (2007) National Survey on Blindness, Low Vision and Trachoma in Ethiopia. Ethiop. Health Devices;21(3): 185-203.
    1. Dandona L, Dandona R, Srinivas M, Giridhar P, Vilas K et al. (2001) Blindness in the Indian State of Andhra Pradesh. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci; 42: 908-916. PubMed: 11274066. - PubMed
    1. Av-Shalom A, Berson D, Gombos GM, Michaelson IC, Zauberman H (1967) Some comments on the incidence of idiopathic retinal detachment among Africans. Am J Ophthalmol; 64: 384–386. PubMed: 6036296. - PubMed
    1. Chumbley LC (1977) Impressions of eye diseases among Rhodesian Blacks in Mashonaland. S Afr Med J; 52: 316–318. PubMed: 897935. - PubMed

Publication types