Most everyone’s eyes will eventually go through posterior vitreous detachment (PVD), typically after age 50.¹ During the course of PVD, patients are at increased risk of retinal tears and, according to a new study, myopia patients who’ve already experienced a retinal tear are at an increased risk of subsequent tears.²

The researchers looked at 176 eyes that experienced one or more retinal tears associated with PVD, and followed them for a minimum of one year. The investigators then divided them into two groups, one that presented with tears at the initial exam only (154 eyes) and a second group (22 eyes) that experienced additional tears following the initial exam.²

From the first group, 59.1% of the eyes were myopic, whereas 86.4% of the second group were. Of those, the researchers noted, 81.8% occurred within a 120-day period following the diagnosis of the original tear. The authors advise that patients be followed for at least four months after the initial symptoms, particularly for the higher-risk myopia patients.²