Association of meteorological factors with the frequency of primary rhegmatogenous retinal detachment in Japan

Abstract

This 5-year ecological study assessed the association between meteorological factors and rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) frequency in 571 eyes of 543 cases of primary RRD at the Jikei University Kashiwa Hospital, Japan. We examined the monthly and seasonal distributions of RRD frequency using one-way analysis of variance. We then evaluated the relationship between monthly RRD frequency and 36 meteorological parameters using Poisson regression analysis. Furthermore, we developed multivariate regression models to predict the frequency of RRD based on specific meteorological parameters. There were no significant differences in the monthly and seasonal distributions (monthly, P = 0.99; seasonal, P = 0.77). The following eight parameters were associated with a lower RRD frequency: average sea level barometric pressure and average daily variation of average temperature, maximum temperature, maximum wind speed, maximum instantaneous wind speed, humidity, average sea level barometric pressure, and minimum sea level barometric pressure (P < 0.05). The best model to predict RRD frequency showed sufficient validity (Akaike’s information criterion with correction for small sample size = 332.0) and predictive power (proportion of variance explained by cross-validation method = 84.82%, 95% CI 72.18–93.72). In conclusion, low atmospheric pressure and high meteorological stability are significantly associated with a higher frequency of RRD. In addition, the Poisson regression analysis showed sufficient validity and predictability for predicting RRD frequency.

Incidence of rhegmatogenous retinal detachments is increasing in Wenzhou, China

“…In our study, a seasonal distribution was detected, with the maxima in April and August, and minimum in November. These results align with the previous articles that reported a maximum at the end of the spring [35] and in summer months [36][37] , and a minimum in the winter months. Nevertheless, an explicit reason for the phenomenon is not yet clear.…”

“…Sevillano Torrado et al [35] proposed another hypothesis, one about solar radiation: ultraviolet radiation might promote the formation of a posterior vitreous detachment in dominant eyes. Seasonal Variation Several studies have observed seasonal variation in the occurrence of RRDs [35][36][37] . In our study, a seasonal distribution was detected, with the maxima in April and August, and minimum in November.…”