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Retinal detachment is a serious eye condition that happens when your retina, a light-sensitive tissue in the back of your eye, is pulled and detached from the other layers inside your eye. If left untreated, it will affect your vision and potentially results in permanent vision loss. A person with short-sighted vision (also known as myopia) is more likely to suffer from this eye disease. In Hong Kong, 20-30% of patients with retinal detachment have severe short-sightedness. Let’s learn more about retinal detachment!
Retinal detachment is an emergency eye condition that can be prevented if early signs are detected with appropriate management. The eye works very much like a camera. Light rays entering the eye are focused by the cornea and the lens, and an image is then formed on the retina. The retina is the innermost light-sensitive lining of the eyeball. It is full of photoreceptor cells and nerve fibers which serve as the “film” of a camera.
In the center of the eye is a structure called vitreous humor, which fills the space between the lens and the retina. The vitreous humor has a jelly-like, slightly sticky consistency similar to egg white. The vitreous is firmly attached to the retina at several sites. Over time, the vitreous contracts and eventually detaches from the retina. The sudden separation is called acute posterior vitreous detachment (PVD). Occasionally PVD can result in tears on the retina. Without immediate repairing surgeries, it may eventually lead to retinal detachment.
Retinal detachment can happen if the vitreous humor bleeds, becomes cloudy or gets pulled away from the retina. You may experience the following symptoms starting with 4 ‘F’s:
Retinal detachment is usually caused by primary changes to the jelly-like structure of the vitreous inside your eye, as well as degeneration and liquefaction of the vitreous which often happens as we age.
Other secondary causes of retinal detachment include:
The following factors increase your risk of developing retinal detachment:
Retinal detachment can be divided into three different types:
Retinal detachment may be prevented if you seek help from an eye doctor (ophthalmologist) early when you see any warning signs. Your eye doctor can check your eyes with a dilated eye exam. This exam is usually painless, you will be given some eye drops to widen (dilate) your pupil, which allows the doctor to look into the back of your eye with various instruments including ophthalmoscopy and slit-lamp.
Further tests may be required by your eye doctor to gather more information, such as:
Retinal detachment is a serious medical condition and surgery is almost always required to repair the detached retina. The ultimate goal of surgery is to reattach the retina in order to recover vision. Retinal surgery can be complicated and the exact procedure varies between the conditions of patients, but the success rate may be as high as 90%. Depending on the degree of detachment and position, a combination of different surgeries may be required.
Options for surgery include:
If retinal detachment was not recognized and managed timely, vision may not recover and it may lead to permanent vision loss if it involves the macula, which is the central part of the retina that is used to read and see clearly.
Retinal detachment cannot simply be prevented by taking medication. However, if the warning signs are recognized early by the patients and seek medical help, procedures such as cryotherapy or laser barrier may be done to seal off the retinal tear or breaks. Thereby preventing the development of retinal detachment.
Hence, the most effective preventions are to:
Sources:
https://www.aao.org/eye-health/diseases/detached-torn-retina
https://www.mdfoundation.com.au/about-macular-disease/other-macular-conditions/retinal-detachment/
https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/retinal-detachment
https://eyewiki.aao.org/Retinal_Detachment
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/detached-retina-retinal-detachment/
https://www.nei.nih.gov/learn-about-eye-health/eye-conditions-and-diseases/retinal-detachment
There are various factors that can cause the retina to detach. The most common type of retinal detachment is rhegmatogenous retinal detachment which is caused by a small break or tear on the retina. Resulting in the jelly-like vitreous structure getting behind the retina which pushes the retina away, resulting in retinal detachment.
The main warning signs of retinal detachment are the 4 ‘F’s: sudden appearance of many floaters; flashes of light in one or both eyes; loss of visual field and fall in acuity resulting in blurry vision.
Surgery is almost always required to fix a detached retina. The aim of the surgery is to reattach the retina back to the wall of the eye. Options of different surgeries include laser therapy, cryotherapy, scleral buckling, vitrectomy and pneumatic retinopexy. Depending on the conditions of patients, a series of different surgeries may be required at times.
This article was independently written by Healthy Matters and is not sponsored. It is informative only and not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. It should not be relied upon for specific medical advice.
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