To evaluate the clinical characteristics and surgical outcomes of retinal detachment associated with atopic dermatitis.

A retrospective investigation of clinical notes of 37 patients with retinal detachment associated with atopic dermatitis was conducted from January 2009 to December 2015. Initial visual acuity, medical history, type of retinal detachment, number of tears, types of treatment, success rate of treatment, and presence of cataract were investigated. To evaluate the relationship with cataract, the patients were classified into three groups according to lens status: group A (eyes with clear lens), group B (eyes with cataract), and group C (pseudophakic eyes).

Of the 37 patients, 29 were male and 8 were female; 10 patients had bilateral retinal detachment (27.0%). The retinal breaks were often located temporally (89.4%), with only 5 cases (10.6%) involving nasal-side retinal breaks. No significant differences were noted in the ratio of males to females, age distribution, visual acuity before and after treatments, axial length, and location of retina breaks among the three groups. After primary surgery, retinal detachment recurred in 12 patients (14 eyes), 5 of whom were initially diagnosed with bilateral retinal detachment. In addition, 12 of 14 eyes underwent a second operation, in which detachment recurred in 3 eyes.

Incidence of bilateral retinal detachment was high in patients with atopic dermatitis, and the retinal breaks were often found on the temporal side. Retinal re-detachment was statistically high in patients with cataract or pseudophakic eyes compared to patients with clear lens ( p = 0.024).