Proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) can complicate up to 10% of all retinal detachment repairs, so getting to the bottom of its development can save patients significant grief.¹ A new retrospective, case–control study, published in the journal Retina, seeks to identify predictive factors for the condition.² The study examined 74 eyes, which were divided equally into two groups, one with and one without PVR after surgery.² The researchers found that PVR formation was 4.2 times more likely for retinal detachments that involved the macula.² Additionally, PVR was 3.6 times more likely in smokers and even former smokers.² The researchers also considered factors such as the duration of retinal detachment symptoms, high myopia, lens status, lattice degeneration, location of retinal break, number of retinal breaks and surgical technique; however, none were found to have a significant impact.²