To investigate the epidemiological characteristics and related risk factors for primary rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) in Taiwan. The case-control study was based on retrospective chart review of hospital patients treated for primary RRD from 1995 to 2001, inclusively. The preoperative fundus findings and refractive status were collected for each patient. Controls were selected from a nationwide survey of visual impairment in the adult population during the same period. Risk factors for RRD were analysed by logistic regression. A total of 1032 RRD cases and 3537 controls were enrolled for the study. A pronounced bipeak pattern was evident in the age distribution for primary RRD in the third and sixth decades of life. Atrophic hole with lattice degeneration was preferential to younger (20-30 years) and highly myopic individuals (-7.4+/-5 D), whereas the flap tear tended to occur in middle-aged individuals (50-60 years) and those with moderate myopia (-4.1+/-5 D). The odds ratio for primary RRD with myopia, male gender, and older age (>40 years) were 1.33/D, 2.15, and 1.69, respectively. Myopia is an important RRD risk factor for young Taiwanese. The increasing prevalence of myopia has predisposed the young population to RRD.
