Retinal Breaks Without Retinal Detachment in Autopsy Eyes

In 211 eyes pertaining to 125 autopsy cases, 21 retinal breaks were found in 12 eyes of 11 cases. Retinal tears were associated with vitreous adherence while retinal holes were due partly to intraretinal processes and partly also to vitreous traction. The choroid underneath the retinal tears showed areas of thinning and atrophy in some of the eyes, and was normal in others. Chorioretinal adhesions were detected around oral tears and some of the oral and equatorial holes. These adhesions as well as solid vitreous covering the peripheral holes may have been the reason for these retinal breaks having remained silent up to the death of the individual. The reason why other, in this way not protected breaks had not caused detachment, neither the macroscopic nor the microscopic study could reveal.