Abstract
Purpose :
Proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) is a serious complication that can occur following rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD). Smoking has previously been linked to the development of PVR after RRD due to trauma. In this study, we aimed to explore smoking as a risk factor for PVR due to RRD regardless of trauma history in a large patient database.
Methods :
Using the relevant ICD codes, patients of any demographic who have a diagnosis of RRD and PVR, and who have been seen in the last seven years (January 2015-November 2022) were identified in the Vestrum Health database. In addition, patients who had a post-op visit within one month following RRD diagnosis date were selected. The eyes that had proliferative diabetic retinopathy and those that had PVR prior to RRD diagnosis date were excluded. The rate of PVR was calculated in each subset patient population that were grouped according to their smoking status. In addition, demographic information such as age, gender, and clinical information including lens status and visual acuity was collected.
Results :
There were 48,345 eyes that had a post-op visit within 1 month following RRD diagnosis of which 62% were male. Out of these eyes, 16% had RRD in both eyes. The rate of PVR was highest in the eyes that had visual acuity less than 20/200. After the RRD, 9% of the eyes developed PVR and of those that developed PVR, 78.2% had gone through vitrectomy. The rate of PVR was highest in active smoker subset population (10.1%), followed by former smoker (10%) and non-smoker (8.2%). The odds ratio for PVR in active smokers was 1.25 (95% Cl 1.12-1.41, p<0.001), and the odds ratio for PVR in former smokers was 1.24 (95%Cl 1.15- 1.35, p<0.001).
Conclusions :
To our knowledge, this is the first study to assess smoking as a risk factor for PVR in a large patient population. The findings of this study suggest that current or previous smoking is a risk factor for PVR in patients with RRD. There was not a significant difference in PVR rates in active smoker and former smoker groups.
This abstract was presented at the 2023 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in New Orleans, LA, April 23-27, 2023.