Abstract
Purpose :
Retinal Detachment (RD) has a modest incidence with a lifetime risk of 3% by age 85 and is classified as a true ophthalmic emergency. Left untreated, RD frequently leads to blindness in the affected eye. This is unfortunate and sometimes inevitable, as patients often present to their general practitioner after their central vision has been compromised. Studies have demonstrated that RD is associated with events such as myopia, cataract surgery and trauma. The purpose of this descriptive study is to describe the demographics, comorbidities and socioeconomic factors associated with retinal detachment. These results will guide further research comparing identified factors to patients without retinal detachment.
Methods :
We used the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project, National Inpatient Sample database, to identify patients with a discharge diagnosis of RD (ICD-9/10 codes, 36.1, H33) between 2012-2016. The Elixhauser Comorbidity Index was used to identify comorbid conditions and the comorbidity burden. Demographic, geographical, socioeconomic factors and incidence of blindness were evaluated. Continuous data are reported as mean (SD), descriptive statistics are presented as frequency and percentage.
Results :
A total of 6985 patients with RD were identified. The mean age was 59 (SD, 19.69) years, 56% (n=3,788) were male, and 60% (n=3,909) were of white race. Most patients (73%, n=4,970) were discharged from urban teaching hospitals and 33% (2,240) were from the southern US region. Thirty percent of RD patients had an annual income lower than $42K and 52% (3,544) had Medicare insurance. The most frequent comorbidities were hypertension (59%), diabetes mellitus (36%), anemia (24%), and renal disease 23%. Blindness was present in 6.5% of RD patients.
Conclusions :
In this study, the incidence of retinal detachment is low. Blindness occurred in less than 7% of patients. RD patients present most often to urban teaching hospitals with common chronic health conditions. Clinicians should understand the influence that these comorbid conditions, demographic and socioeconomic factors have in the emergent treatment of RD to avoid adverse outcomes.
This is a 2021 ARVO Annual Meeting abstract.