If you have reduced vision after treatment, your eye doctor can help you learn ways to keep your independence and continue the activities you enjoy. Surgery is the only treatment for retinal detachment. The goals of surgery are:. Almost all retinal detachments can be repaired with scleral buckle surgery, pneumatic retinopexy, or vitrectomy. But it is important to act quickly.
The longer you wait to have surgery, the lower the chances that good vision will be restored. When the retina loses contact with its supporting layers, vision begins to get worse. An eye doctor ophthalmologist who specializes in retinal detachments will usually do surgery within a few days of your being diagnosed with a detachment. How soon you need surgery usually depends on whether the retinal detachment has or could spread far enough to affect central vision.
When the macula , the part of the retina that provides central vision, loses contact with the layer beneath it, it quickly loses its ability to process what the eye sees. Your doctor will decide how soon you need surgery based on the result of the retinal exam and the doctor's experience in treating retinal detachment. Treating a retinal tear may be useful if the tear is likely to lead to detachment. Symptoms such as floaters or flashing lights are key factors in deciding whether to treat a tear.
A tear that occurs right after a posterior vitreous detachment PVD with symptoms is usually much more dangerous and more likely to progress to a retinal detachment than one that occurs without symptoms.
In deciding when to treat a retinal tear, your doctor will evaluate whether the torn retina is likely to detach. If the tear is very likely to lead to detachment, treatment can usually repair it and prevent detachment and potential vision loss.
If the tear is not likely to lead to detachment, you may not need treatment. You have several surgical options to repair a retinal detachment. Their success in restoring good vision varies from case to case. The cause, location, and type of detachment usually determine which surgery will work best.
Other conditions or eye problems may also play a role when you choose the best type of surgery. You may need more than one surgery to reattach the retina if scar tissue from the first surgery grows over the surface of your retina. After surgery, you may need to use antibiotic eyedrops and corticosteroid medicines for a short time. Author: Healthwise Staff.
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You are here Home » Retinal Detachment. Top of the page. Topic Overview What is retinal detachment? What causes retinal detachment? What are the symptoms? How is retinal detachment diagnosed?
How is it treated? Health Tools Health Tools help you make wise health decisions or take action to improve your health. Actionsets are designed to help people take an active role in managing a health condition. Cause Causes of retinal detachment are: Tears or holes in the retina. These may lead to retinal detachment by allowing fluid from the middle of the eye vitreous gel to collect under the retina. A common cause of retinal tears is posterior vitreous detachment PVD.
An eye or head injury or other eye disorders, such as lattice degeneration, a condition in which the retina becomes very thin, may also cause tears or holes in the retina. Traction on the retina. If tissue builds up between the vitreous gel and the retina, it can pull the retina away from the back of the eye. The most common cause of this problem is proliferative diabetic retinopathy , a condition that leads to the growth of scar tissue that can pull on the retina.
Fluid buildup under the retina. Fluid buildup under the retina can cause the retina to come off the back of the eye. Fluid buildup may be caused by inflammation or disease in the retina, in the layer just beneath the retina choroid , in blood vessels, or in tissues in the eye. For more information about and pictures of the eye and how it works, see Eye Anatomy and Function. Symptoms Most cases of retinal detachment begin with a retinal tear.
A retinal tear or another eye problem may cause: Floaters in your field of vision. Floaters are thick strands or clumps of solid vitreous gel that develop as the gel ages and breaks down. Floaters often appear as dark specks, globs, strings, or dots. Floaters may also be caused by loose blood or pigment from tears in the retina. Flashes of light or sparks when you move your eyes or head. These are easier to see against a dark background.
You have had surgery to fix a retinal detachment. Your doctor may also have fixed a tear in your retina. Your eye doctor may put drops in your eye to prevent infection and keep the pupil from opening wide or closing.
You will also use these drops at home. You may have to wear a patch or shield over the eye for a day or more. You may have some pain in your eye and your vision may be blurry for a few days after the surgery. Your eye may be swollen, red, or tender for several weeks. If your doctor used a gas bubble to flatten your retina during surgery, you may have to keep your head in a special position for a few days or longer.
Your doctor will give you special instructions about this. You will need 2 to 4 weeks to recover before returning to your normal activities. This care sheet gives you a general idea about how long it will take for you to recover. But each person recovers at a different pace.
Follow the steps below to get better as quickly as possible. Follow-up care is a key part of your treatment and safety. Be sure to make and go to all appointments, and call your doctor or nurse call line if you are having problems. It's also a good idea to know your test results and keep a list of the medicines you take. Call anytime you think you may need emergency care. For example, call if:. Call your doctor or nurse call line now or seek immediate medical care if:.
Watch closely for changes in your health, and be sure to contact your doctor or nurse call line if:. To schedule a routine eye exam, or consult with a physician about surgery, contact a Swedish ophthalmologist. The retina is a light-sensing membrane that lines the back of the eye. It captures and transmits images to the brain. The outlying parts of the retina are responsible for peripheral vision. Sometimes part of the retina either tears or pulls away detaches from the back of the eye.
When this happens, vision loss may occur. Most retinal detachments are caused by the presence of one or more small tears or holes in the retina. These tears may be due to the thinning of the retina that comes with age, but more often they are caused by shrinkage of the vitreous — a clear, gel-like substance that fills the inside of the eye.
The vitreous helps maintain the shape of the eye and allows light to pass through the retina. Retinal tears and detachments usually affect people who are middle-aged or older. These eye problems are more likely to develop in very nearsighted people and those with a family history of retinal problems. A hard, solid blow to the eye may also cause retinal detachments. If there is a tear, you may notice floaters specks or threads in your vision , flashes lights, stars or streaks in your vision or sudden blurry vision.
With a retinal detachment, an area of your vision may seem shadowed. Whether or not your vision returns depends not only on the success or failure of the operation, but also on the duration, extent and location of the detachment. For example, if the macula the part of the retina responsible for central vision has detached, it is unlikely that full vision will ever return, even if the operation is successful. Retinal detachment can only be repaired with surgery. If left untreated, your vision will most likely worsen beyond repair.
Seeing an eye specialist as soon as you experience symptoms leads to the best outcome. This page has been produced in consultation with and approved by:. Blepharospasm means involuntary twitching, blinking, closure or squeezing of the eyelids. Braille is a reading and writing system for blind and vision impaired people, made up of raised dots that can be?
A cataract of the eye is like the lens of a camera becoming fogged up. People who are colourblind usually have difficulty with the colours green, yellow, orange and red. Conjunctivitis is an eye infection caused by a bacteria or virus. Symptoms include eye redness, a discharge and swollen lids. Conjunctivitis is treated with antibacterial eye drops or ointment. Children must not attend school or child care if they have conjunctivitis.
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