Methods
Using a retrospective, descriptive study, all charts of patients with the diagnosis of RRD seen at the retina clinic of Menelik II Hospital from April 1999 to October 2003 were collected from the chartroom and relevant points were extracted from each chart.
Menelik II Hospital is a tertiary teaching hospital situated in the capital, Addis Ababa. The eye department gives comprehensive eye care services to all patients with ocular diseases as to the limits of the available facilities in the hospital. Patients with ocular diseases come to the eye department directly and by also being referred from other hospitals in the city. Patients are also referred and come to the centre from all corners of the country as Menelik II Hospital is relatively well equipped and has got trained professionals at subspecialty levels. Menelik II Hospital is one of the very few centers where retinal detachment surgery is done at the time of the study.
As documented on patient charts, the clinical diagnosis of RRD was made based on patients' history and clinical findings. Indirect ophthalmoscope examinations were done and B-scan ultrasound was used when there was media opacity. In the charts of myopic patients with RRD, myopic fundus changes and measurements of axial lengths of the eyes using A-scan ultrasound were