Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment: Is visual acuity enough? A deeper dive into patients' vision-related quality of life.

PURPOSE: To evaluate vision-related quality of life (VRQOL) in patients who underwent pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) and to explore the relationship between VRQOL outcomes and various clinical and demographic factors.

METHODS

In this cross-sectional study, patients with anatomic success 12months after PPV for RRD were evaluated. The Turkish version of the National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire-39 (NEI-VFQ-39) was administered to evaluate VRQOL. Patient demographics, preoperative findings, surgical details, and postoperative outcomes, including best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and retinal displacement, were analyzed. Fundus autofluorescence imaging was performed at 12months to detect retinal displacement.

RESULTS

A total of 110 patients (median age: 58years) were included. Patients without retinal displacement had the highest VRQOL composite and subscale scores, while superior retinal displacement was linked to significantly lower scores. Patients who underwent combined surgery and those who were pseudophakic postoperatively had better VRQOL scores. Postoperative BCVA was significantly correlated with subscales such as general health, general vision, ocular pain, vision-specific dependency, and driving scores. However, no correlation was found between preoperative or final BCVA and the composite score.

CONCLUSIONS

The lack of correlation between VRQOL composite score and BCVA suggests that focusing solely on BCVA may not fully capture the patient's visual experience. VRQOL is significantly impacted by retinal displacement, with superior displacement associated with the lowest scores. Patient positioning, surgical techniques, and postoperative follow-up should emphasize minimizing retinal displacement to improve long-term visual outcomes and quality of life.