Characteristics of retinal detachment associated with atopic dermatitis

Abstract Purpose: To examine the characteristics of rhegmatous retinal detachment(RRD) associated with atopic dermatitis.Study design: retrospective case-control studyMethodThe study was conducted between 2008 and 2018, whereby 2257 patients underwent RD surgery at this clinic. Among them, 61 patients who have been diagnosed as atopy were treated as experimental group, and 100 patients who didn’t have atopy were randomly selected as control group. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: In this study, demographics, characteristics of detachment, initial operative method, and prognosis after surgery were investigated. Additionally, in pseudophakic RD patients, the period between the cataract surgery and onset of RD was measured.Result: In atopy group, postoperative VA and prognosis were significantly worse and bilateral involvement of RD was more common than control group. However, it is notable that there was no difference of mean preoperative VA and refractive index between two groups. There was a difference in characteristics of retinal breaks in two groups. Additionally, it was noted that in pseudophakic patients, the risk of developing RD within 1 year after cataract surgery was significantly higher in atopic group than in control group.Conclusion: Generally speaking, RD in atopy occurs at a young age and has different characteristics noted than with non-atopic patients. In this context, atopic RD has poor visual prognosis, and for this reason it requires careful management. Furthermore, the risk of developing RD within 1 year after cataract surgery is higher in atopy, and thus we suggest regular and extensive check-up after cataract surgery especially in atopic patients.