To investigate the preoperative factors affecting the visual outcome after a vitrectomy in a rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD).

A retrospective study of 79 eyes was carried out. The 41 eyes were macula-off RRD (group I), the 38 eyes were macula-on RRD (group II). The preoperative factors examined in this study included the preoperative best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), age, the duration of macular detachment, the extent of the detached retina, the delay of operation. The correlation between these factors and the postoperative 6 months BCVA were investigated.

In group I, preoperative BCVA (r = 0.313, p = 0.037) and preoperative retinal detachment (RD) extent (r = 0.483, p = 0.001) were significantly correlated with postoperative 6 months BCVA. In group II, preoperative BCVA and preoperative RD extent were not significantly correlated with postoperative 6 months BCVA. Regardless of including macula, the patient's age, duration of symptom and delay of operation after clinic visit were not affected to the visual outcome. Patients with symptom duration of 7 days or less achieved better final BCVA (0.36 ± 0.45 log MAR, n = 29) than patients with longer symptom duration (0.79 ± 0.55 log MAR, n = 16) ( p = 0.008).

After vitrectomy for macula-off RRD, the factors related to favorable visual outcome were the better preoperative BCVA, the less extent of the detached retina. And surgical repair within 7 days of the symptom onset yielded better visual outcomes. Otherwise, in macula-on RRD, preoperative BCVA, age, the duration of retinal detachment, the extent of the detached retina, the delay of operation did not impact on visual outcome.