Researchers in Denmark recently found that men over 50 experience a higher incidence of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) than the general population.

This study pulled data from the Danish National Patient Registry to evaluate 11,769 patients who had undergone their first RRD surgery in either eye between 2000 and 2016.

The team discovered that the incidence rates, standardized by age and sex, of RRD increased by more than 50% during the 16 years. They noted a significant increase in this incidence rate for all patients, men and women, older than 50. The rate also increased for women younger than 50, but not men in this age bracket. They added that men over 50, in particular, accounted for the increase in the number of surgeries during the study period, at a rate of 1.7±0.1 cases per 100,000 person-years per year.

Nielsen BR, Alberti M, Bjerrum SS, et al. The incidence of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment is increasing. Acta Ophthalmologica. February 21, 2020. [Epub ahead of print].