Abstract
There have been marked increases in the numbers of patients with retinal detachments
at individual centres in recent years and this is supported by the subjective impression
of many experts. We therefore surveyed the literature on changes in the incidence
of retinal detachments worldwide. This revealed quite significant methodological differences
between the studies, so that it was difficult to achieve a conclusive comparison of
the development of the incidence of retinal detachment. Despite these limitations,
all data from recent studies suggest an increase in the number of retinal detachments.
The incidence of retinal detachment in the western world currently seems to be more
than 20 cases per 100,000 person-years, which is significantly higher than described
in earlier decades. It can be assumed that an increase in the number of individuals
with myopia, a demographic increase in patients of the typical age group for retinal
detachment and an increasing number of cataract
surgeries, especially in younger patients, are responsible for the rising incidence
of retinal detachment.
Key words
retinal detachment - incidence - myopia - pseudophakia
