Definition and research guide
This page combines a MeSH definition, publication statistics and selected research abstracts. It is a starting point for reading the literature, not a medical textbook or a systematic evidence review.
Content available: 4 complete abstracts (851 words), 10 references. Full article text is not stored or reproduced here; follow the PMID, DOI or PMC links to read the original sources and their access terms.
Definition
Separation of the inner layers of the retina (neural retina) from the pigment epithelium. Retinal detachment occurs more commonly in men than in women, in eyes with degenerative myopia, in aging and in aphakia. It may occur after an uncomplicated cataract extraction, but it is seen more often if vitreous humor has been lost during surgery. (Dorland, 27th ed; Newell, Ophthalmology: Principles and Concepts, 7th ed, p310-12).
Definition: NLM Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) scope note (Public domain (U.S. National Library of Medicine); attribution requested). View the MeSH record.
Also known as: Detachment, Retinal; Detachments, Retinal; Retinal Detachments; Retinal Pigment Epithelial Detachment.
Where it fits in the MeSH classification
- Broader topics
- Retinal Diseases
- See also
- Scleral Buckling; Retinoschisis
Research landscape
PubMed indexes 22,642 records tagged with the MeSH heading “Retinal Detachment” (counts retrieved 2026-11-04). 3,474 of them (15.3%) were published from 2020 onward, and the busiest period so far is through 1999 with 11,758 records.
Reviews account for 1,209 records (5.3%) and meta-analyses for 114. Randomized controlled trials number 294 (1.3%) as a share of all records on the topic. Randomized trials make up only a small share of this literature, so much of what is known comes from laboratory, observational or descriptive work.
Show the data
| Period | Records |
|---|---|
| through 1999 | 11,758 |
| 2000-2009 | 3,277 |
| 2010-2019 | 4,133 |
| 2020 onward | 3,474 |
Publication-type chart data
| Type | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 1,209 | 5.3% |
| Meta-analyses | 114 | 0.5% |
| Randomized controlled trials | 294 | 1.3% |
Method: PubMed query "Retinal Detachment"[MeSH Terms] with publication-type and date filters, retrieved 2026-11-04.
Reading the evidence in eye, ear, nose and throat
Eye, hearing, nose and throat studies rely on specialist tests (visual acuity, eye pressure, audiograms, scopes) and on patient-reported symptoms, which vary between people and with age. Some conditions improve without treatment, so comparison groups matter. Nothing on this page is advice about diagnosis or treatment; sudden loss of sight or hearing needs urgent care from a qualified clinician. Check how the outcome was tested, the age of the people studied and how long they were followed.
Evidence from open-access studies
These open-access studies come from PubMed’s best-match results for this heading (papers whose main topic it is), ranked here by citation count, with one recent addition. Each abstract is reproduced in full under its recorded open licence so that you can read the authors’ own words. They illustrate the literature; they are not a systematic summary of it. Citation counts measure attention, not reliability or clinical benefit.
| Study / authors | Year | Source label / design | Europe PMC citations | Licence / source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Proliferative vitreoretinopathy: an update on the current and emerging treatment options | 2024 | Review article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 45 | cc by PMID 37843566 · DOI · PMC10907475 |
| Fibrotic Changes in Rhegmatogenous Retinal Detachment | 2025 | Review article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 21 | cc by PMID 39940795 · DOI · PMC11817287 |
| Developing and validating a clinlabomics-based machine-learning model for early detection of retinal detachment in patients with high myopia | 2024 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 21 | cc by PMID 38689321 · DOI · PMC11061938 |
| A Comparative Analysis of Deep Convolutional Networks for Automated Diagnosis of Retinal Detachment in Dogs | 2026 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 1 | cc by PMID 41944517 · DOI · PMC13055114 |
Proliferative vitreoretinopathy: an update on the current and emerging treatment options [1]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) remains the main cause of failure in retinal detachment (RD) surgery and a demanding challenge for vitreoretinal surgeons.
- Closing excerpt
- In this review, we analyze the current and emerging adjunctive treatment options for the management of PVR and we discuss their possible clinical application and beneficial role in this subgroup of patients.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (96 words)
Proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) remains the main cause of failure in retinal detachment (RD) surgery and a demanding challenge for vitreoretinal surgeons. Despite the large improvements in surgical techniques and a better understanding of PVR pathogenesis in the last years, satisfactory anatomical and visual outcomes have not been provided yet. For this reason, several different adjunctive pharmacological agents have been investigated in combination with surgery. In this review, we analyze the current and emerging adjunctive treatment options for the management of PVR and we discuss their possible clinical application and beneficial role in this subgroup of patients.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 37843566 · DOI · PMC10907475
Fibrotic Changes in Rhegmatogenous Retinal Detachment [2]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) is a sight-threatening condition involving retinal detachment and the accumulation of fluid in the subretinal space.
- Closing excerpt
- Currently, there is no preventive treatment for the formation of PVR, and it is worth studying in the future.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (230 words)
Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) is a sight-threatening condition involving retinal detachment and the accumulation of fluid in the subretinal space. Proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) is a pathologic complication that develops after RRD surgery, and approximately 5-10% of RRD cases develop post-operative PVR. Prolonged inflammation in the wound healing process, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cell migration and proliferation, and epiretinal, intraretinal, and subretinal fibrosis are typical in the formation of PVR. RPE cells undergo EMT and become fibroblast-like cells that migrate to the retina and vitreous, promoting PVR formation. Fibroblasts transform into myofibroblasts, which promote fibrosis by overproducing the extracellular matrix (ECM). RPE cells, fibroblasts, glial cells, macrophages, T lymphocytes, and increased ECM production form contractile epiretinal membranes. Cytokine release, complement activation, RPE cells, glial cells, and endothelial cells are all involved in retinal immune responses. Normally, wounds heal within 4 to 6 weeks, including hemostasis, inflammation, proliferation, and remodeling phases. Properly initiated inflammation, complement activation, and the function of neutrophils and glial cells heal the wound in the first stage. In a retinal wound, glial cells proliferate and fill the injured area. Gliosis tries to protect the neurons and prevent damage, but it becomes harmful when it causes scarring. If healing is complicated, prolonged inflammation leads to pathological fibrosis. Currently, there is no preventive treatment for the formation of PVR, and it is worth studying in the future.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 39940795 · DOI · PMC11817287
Developing and validating a clinlabomics-based machine-learning model for early detection of retinal detachment in patients with high myopia [3]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- BackgroundRetinal detachment (RD) is a vision-threatening disorder of significant severity.
- Closing excerpt
- ConclusionGBM algorithms based on nine features successfully predicted the diagnosis of RD in patients with HM, which will help ophthalmologists to establish a preliminary diagnosis and to improve diagnostic accuracy in the clinic.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (339 words)
BackgroundRetinal detachment (RD) is a vision-threatening disorder of significant severity. Individuals with high myopia (HM) face a 2 to 6 times higher risk of developing RD compared to non-myopes. The timely identification of high myopia-related retinal detachment (HMRD) is crucial for effective treatment and prevention of additional vision impairment. Consequently, our objective was to streamline and validate a machine-learning model based on clinical laboratory omics (clinlabomics) for the early detection of RD in HM patients.MethodsWe extracted clinlabomics data from the electronic health records for 24,440 HM and 5607 HMRD between 2015 and 2022. Lasso regression analysis assessed fifty-nine variables, excluding collinear variables (variance inflation factor > 10). Four models based on random forest, gradient boosting machine (GBM), generalized linear model, and Deep Learning Model were trained for HMRD diagnosis and employed for internal validation. An external test of the models was done. Three random data sets were further processed to validate the performance of the diagnostic model. The primary outcomes were the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and the area under the precision-recall curve (AUCPR) to diagnose HMRD.ResultsNine variables were selected by all models. Given the AUC and AUCPR values across the different sets, the GBM model was chosen as the final diagnostic model. The GBM model had an AUC of 0.8550 (95%CI = 0.8322-0.8967) and an AUCPR of 0.5584 (95%CI = 0.5250-0.5879) in the training set. The AUC and AUCPR in the internal validation were 0.8405 (95%CI = 0.8060-0.8966) and 0.5355 (95%CI = 0.4988-0.5732). During the external test evaluation, it reached an AUC of 0.7579 (95%CI = 0.7340-0.7840) and an AUCPR of 0.5587 (95%CI = 0.5345-0.5880). A similar discriminative capacity was observed in the three random data sets. The GBM model was well-calibrated across all the sets. The GBM-RD model was implemented into a web application that provides risk prediction for HM individuals.ConclusionGBM algorithms based on nine features successfully predicted the diagnosis of RD in patients with HM, which will help ophthalmologists to establish a preliminary diagnosis and to improve diagnostic accuracy in the clinic.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 38689321 · DOI · PMC11061938
A Comparative Analysis of Deep Convolutional Networks for Automated Diagnosis of Retinal Detachment in Dogs [4]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- ObjectiveTo compare ImageNet-pretrained deep convolutional neural networks for automated detection of retinal detachment (RD) in canine fundus photographs.
- Closing excerpt
- Prospective external validation across additional devices and practice settings is warranted before routine clinical implementation.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (186 words)
ObjectiveTo compare ImageNet-pretrained deep convolutional neural networks for automated detection of retinal detachment (RD) in canine fundus photographs.Animals studiedArchived fundus images from 275 dogs.ProceduresIn this multicenter retrospective study, 2000 color fundus photographs (793 RD; 1207 normal) acquired between 2020 and 2025 were included after quality filtering. Data were split at the patient level into training (80%) and an independent validation set (20%). Transfer learning was applied to three pretrained architectures (ResNet50V2, VGG16, EfficientNetB0) using standardized preprocessing and real-time augmentation. Performance on the validation set was assessed using accuracy, precision, recall, F1-score, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). Ninety-five percent confidence intervals were estimated by bootstrapping.ResultsResNet50V2 achieved the best overall discrimination (accuracy 0.8909; AUC 0.9194), followed by EfficientNetB0 (accuracy 0.8182; AUC 0.8831). VGG16 showed limited reliability (accuracy 0.6182; AUC 0.6868) due to a high false-positive rate. Gradient-weighted class activation mapping indicated that the best-performing model consistently attended to regions consistent with retinal detachment.ConclusionsResNet50V2-based analysis of canine fundus photographs shows strong potential as a scalable screening support tool for RD. Prospective external validation across additional devices and practice settings is warranted before routine clinical implementation.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 41944517 · DOI · PMC13055114
Key reviews and meta-analyses
The most cited review-type papers among PubMed’s best-match results for this heading, listed with bibliographic details only. Follow the links for the full text and access terms.
- Research article Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment--an ophthalmologic emergency [5]
- Research article Retinal detachment following cataract phacoemulsification-a review of the literature [6]
- Research article A brief review of the histopathology of proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) [7]
- Research article Impact of duration of macula-off retinal detachment on visual outcome: a systematic review and meta-analysis of literature [8]
- Research article Retinal Detachment and Proliferative Vitreoretinopathy [9]
- Research article Posterior Vitreous Detachment, Retinal Breaks, and Lattice Degeneration Preferred Practice Pattern® [10]
References
- Ferro Desideri L, Artemiev D, Zandi S, Zinkernagel MS, Anguita R. Proliferative vitreoretinopathy: an update on the current and emerging treatment options. . 2024. PMID 37843566 · DOI · PMC10907475
- Harju N, Kauppinen A, Loukovaara S. Fibrotic Changes in Rhegmatogenous Retinal Detachment. . 2025. PMID 39940795 · DOI · PMC11817287
- Li S, Li M, Wu J, Li Y, Han J, Song Y, et al.. Developing and validating a clinlabomics-based machine-learning model for early detection of retinal detachment in patients with high myopia. . 2024. PMID 38689321 · DOI · PMC11061938
- Okur S, Baykal B, Akçora Y, Modoğlu E, Kibar B, İlgün M, et al.. A Comparative Analysis of Deep Convolutional Networks for Automated Diagnosis of Retinal Detachment in Dogs. . 2026. PMID 41944517 · DOI · PMC13055114
- Feltgen N, Walter P. Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment--an ophthalmologic emergency. Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2014. PMID 24565273 · DOI · PMC3948016
- Qureshi MH, Steel DHW. Retinal detachment following cataract phacoemulsification-a review of the literature. Eye (Lond). 2020. PMID 31576027 · DOI · PMC7093479
- Mudhar HS. A brief review of the histopathology of proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR). Eye (Lond). 2020. PMID 31792351 · DOI · PMC7002513
- van Bussel EM, van der Valk R, Bijlsma WR, La Heij EC. Impact of duration of macula-off retinal detachment on visual outcome: a systematic review and meta-analysis of literature. Retina. 2014. PMID 25121930 · DOI
- Kwon OW, Song JH, Roh MI. Retinal Detachment and Proliferative Vitreoretinopathy. Dev Ophthalmol. 2016. PMID 26501375 · DOI
- Flaxel CJ, Adelman RA, Bailey ST, Fawzi A, Lim JI, Vemulakonda GA, et al.. Posterior Vitreous Detachment, Retinal Breaks, and Lattice Degeneration Preferred Practice Pattern®. Ophthalmology. 2020. PMID 31757500 · DOI
About this article
- Sources
- NLM Medical Subject Headings (definition, synonyms); NCBI PubMed (counts, identifiers); Europe PMC (open-access abstracts and citation counts).
- Verification
- Every reference was resolved against PubMed on 2026-11-04; title, year and DOI matched.
- Review state
- automated source verified; no human expert review has been recorded yet.
- Version
- 1, last updated 2026-11-04.
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Evidence strength
EvidenceHelix's computed view of the study designs behind this topic: how common meta-analyses, randomized trials and reviews are, how recent the literature is, and a plain-language reading. It describes the design mix of the literature. It is not a quality appraisal of any study, and it is not medical advice.