[Prognosis of the retinal detachment in children (author's transl)].
Following features seem to characterize retinal detachments in children. High rate of difficult anatomical problems: invisible retinal breaks, macular or paramacular breaks, giant breaks or desinsertions (37% of our cases). High rate of severe traumatic macular lesions. Important delay in treatment with prolonged macular impairment. These facts explain the prognosis. Difficulties in the treatment of retinal breaks explain anatomical results (75% cure rate vs 78,6% for all the retinal detachments treated). In the same way they explain the high rate of multiple operations. Macular impairment and multiple operations explain visual results: 1/3 of the non amblyopic eyes recover a visual acuity comparable to the initial. So, the macular in children does not seem to have a special functional recuperation ability. Two supplementary facts may be mentioned. Delay in treatment has no adverse effect in anatomic prognosis. Non giant "simple" desinsertions expose to a noticeable risk of massive vitreous retraction.