Retinal Detachment

Retinal detachment is a very serious condition, and although it’s painless in most of the cases, it could lead to vision loss.

Retinal detachment

Retinal detachment is the separation of the retina in the eye from the layer of blood vessels that transfer oxygen and nourishment to the eyes.

Causes and risk factors leading to retinal detachment

There are three types of retinal detachment:

• Rhegmatogenous: if there is a tiny tear in the retina, the vitreous humor (gel-like fluid) goes through it and accumulates behind the retina. This fluid can make the retina pull away from underlying tissue, and with time, this fluid shrinks, causing the retina to tear. This is the most common type and is mostly caused by aging.
• Tractional: it occurs due to scar tissue that grows on the retina and pulls it away. It’s usually seen in people with poorly controlled diabetes.
• Exudative: it occurs when the fluid builds up beneath the retina but without a tear in it. It commonly occurs when there are leaking blood vessels or swelling behind the eye.

The risk of a detached retina increased due to the following factors:

• Family history.
• Extreme nearsightedness (myopia).
• Eye injury.
• A previous eye surgery, such as for cataracts.
• A history of eye disease, such as uveitis, retinoschisis, or lattice degeneration (thinning of the peripheral retina).

Symptoms of retinal detachment

Retinal detachment might not cause symptoms unless it’s severe, and they include:

• Seeing floaters (small spots and squiggly lines drifting through the vision field).
• Seeing flashes of light.
• Worsened peripheral vision.
• A shadow over the vision field.
• Blurred vision.
• A detached retina could lead to vision loss within a few days.

Diagnosis of retinal detachment

• Eye exam.
• Imaging tests.

Treatment of retinal detachment

• Laser therapy.
• Cryopexy (freezing).
• Pneumatic retinopexy.
• Scleral buckle.
• Vitrectomy.