This patient had an asymptomatic peripheral lattice-related retinal detachment. Note that the entire lattice lesion represents the flap of the tear, with an adjacent secondary smaller tear.
The detachment was demarcated with laser photocoagulation and has remained stable since.
Learning Points:
Retinal detachment occurs in 1 in 10,000 people per year. Lattice is found in 10% of the general population, especially in high myopes.
Since about one-third of patients with retinal detachment have lattice as the cause, the question always arises, especially in patients like this: should prophylactic retinopexy be performed? The short answer is that asymptomatic lattice generally should not be treated.
However, this patient had lattice-related retinal detachment and thus underwent laser demarcation.
An especially relevant article for this topic is by Vrabec and Baumal, Ophthalmology 2000;107;1063-1067.
