What is retinal detachment?
Retinal detachment, also called detached retina, occurs when your retina, the light-processing tissue at the back of your eye, separates from the surrounding tissue.
Your retina can’t function normally when it’s partially or fully detached, so a retinal detachment is an eye emergency. You could suffer blurry vision or even permanent vision loss if you don’t seek care immediately.
What are the signs of a detached retina?
A detached retina isn’t painful, but you typically notice symptoms such as:
- Flashes of light
- Floaters
- Darker peripheral vision
- Blurry vision
If you notice the symptoms of retinal detachment, don’t wait to get help. Contact IC Laser Eye Care for immediate diagnosis and care to save your vision.
What causes a detached retina?
The most common cause is age-related changes in the eye, combined with swelling or myopia (rhegmatogenous detachment). The vitreous body, the jellylike substance that fills your eye, shrinks as you grow older.
Vitreous shrinkage is normal, and it typically doesn’t cause damage. But, because the vitreous is attached to your retina, it can pull retinal tissue away from the back of the eye as it recedes. This is more likely to happen if you have inner-eye inflammation or if you suffer from myopia (nearsightedness).
Two other possible causes of retinal detachment are scar tissue on the retinal tissue (tractional retinal detachment) and fluid under the retina that’s often connected to age-related macular degeneration (exudative retinal detachment).
How do you diagnose retinal detachment?
The IC Laser Eye Care team has state-of-the-art retinal diagnostic testing tools including eye angiography, B-scan ultrasound, and optical coherence tomography (OCT) scan. These tests can verify the type of retinal detachment and the severity of the damage.
What is the treatment for retinal detachment?
If you have a detached retina, your treatment typically includes one or more of the following.
Pneumatic retinopexy
In a pneumatic retinopexy, an injected gas or air bubble closes the tear and pushes your retina back into place.
Scleral buckle
A scleral buckle is a strip of silicone that goes on the sclera, the white part of your eye, at the point where your retinal detachment occurs. The scleral buckle works by pushing your eye back slightly, which restores your retina to its normal place.
Vitrectomy
In a vitrectomy, an injected substance (air, gas, or silicone) replaces your vitreous body. This pushes your retina back and allows healing over time. You absorb air or gas over time as your body creates a new vitreous body.
The IC Laser Eye Care team can help you find the ideal approach for a retinal detachment. Reach out for help by calling the IC Laser Eye Care office nearest you.
