To explore the clinical characteristics and surgical results of retinal detachment in eyes with anterior proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR).83 patients (83 eyes) of retinal detachment with grade C-D PVR were studied. Different surgical methods were used in treating anterior PVR and posterior PVR, respectively.Among the 83 patients, anterior PVR was in 34 eyes (41.0%) and posterior PVR 49 eyes (59.0%). The anterior PVR occurred in younger patients, mean age 28.5 years, more in male patients (85.3%) and more in grade D of PVR (55.9%); in the posterior PVR, the mean age was 38.9 years, 63.3% of patients were male and 24.5% of patients were in grade D of PVR. Eighty-three patients had a mean postoperative follow-up of 12.9 months. Complete retinal re-attachment occurred in 24 eyes (70.6%) with anterior PVR and in 38 eyes with posterior PVR (77.6%; chi(2) = 0.51, P > 0.1). The final corrected visual acuity >or= 0.05 was in 11 eyes with anterior PVR (32.4%) and in 22 eyes with posterior PVR (44.9%; chi(2) = 1.32, P > 0.1).Eyes with anterior PVR have different clinical characteristics and worse surgical conditions when compared with eyes of posterior PVR. However, by the use of modern vitreoretinal surgery, the outcome in eyes with anterior PVR may become similar to that of posterior PVR.