Detached Retina
Key points
- The retina is the light-sensitive layer at the back of the eye that converts visual images into nerve impulses that are relayed to the brain to produce sight.
- After reviewing your symptoms, your doctor will ask about your medical history, especially any history of cataract surgery, nearsightedness, diabetes or eye trauma.
- Once a retinal detachment develops and causes symptoms, it should be treated quickly to preserve as much vision as possible.
- Most retinal detachments are age related, and there is no way to prevent them.
What Is It?
The retina is the light-sensitive layer at the back of the eye that converts visual images into nerve impulses that are relayed to the brain to produce sight. A detached retina, also called a retinal detachment, is a separation of the retina from the deeper layers of the eyeball that normally support and nourish it. Without this nourishment and support, the retina does not function properly, and this can cause a variety of visual symptoms. For example, if the retina detaches near the macula, the part of the eye that is responsible for the center of the visual field, then there may be a sudden, significant blurring or loss of vision. However, if the area of detachment is located closer to the outer edges of the retina, then the visual loss may be more subtle, similar to a curtain being drawn over one side of the visual field (the "curtain effect"). Other symptoms of retinal detachment may include floating shapes in the field of vision or brief flashes of light.
Although there are several types of retinal detachment, the most common one starts when a tear or hole develops in the retina, and some of the gel-like substance that fills the inside of the eye (vitreous fluid) leaks through the opening. Eventually, the leaking vitreous fluid gets behind the retina, separating the retina from the other layers of the eye that normally lie beneath it.
The retinal tear that triggers a retinal detachment sometimes is caused by trauma. More often, it is caused by a change in the gel-like consistency of the vitreous fluid that can occur as a part of aging. This age-related change can occur spontaneously and unpredictably in older people, and there is no way to prevent it. Once this type of retinal detachment develops and causes symptoms, it can progress to total blindness if it is not repaired promptly.
Among the U.S. population, retinal detachment is a relatively uncommon condition, affecting only one of every 10,000 Americans annually. However, there are certain groups who have an unusually high risk of developing this problem, including:
- People who have had cataract surgery — Up to 3 percent of people who have had cataract surgery eventually develop a detached retina, making retinal detachment the most serious post-surgical complication of cataract treatments. The high rate of retinal detachments after cataract surgery may be related to the vitreous fluid inside the eye becoming watery instead of gel-like after surgery.
- Severely nearsighted people — These people often are nearsighted because of an unusually elongated eyeball. The elongated shape may increase the risk of retinal tears by increasing the shearing stress between the vitreous fluid and the surface of the retina.
- People who have had blunt trauma or penetrating injuries to the eye
Written and revised by
Gerald Hurowitz, M.D.
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