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