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7 - Retinal Detachment

Published by Guset User, 2015-03-31 20:57:02

Description: Retinal Detachment: The retina is the light sensitive tissue that lines the inside of the eye and sends signals to the brain. When the retina detaches, it is pulled ...

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Retinal Detachment:The retina is the light sensitive tissue that lines the inside of the eye and sends signals tothe brain. When the retina detaches, it is pulled away from the choroid layer, which is athin layer of blood vessels that nourishes the retina and supplies it with oxygen. Thelonger a retina is detachment from the underlying layer, the longer it is deprived ofoxygen which in turn can lead to permanent vision loss. Symptoms of a retinaldetachment are: the sudden onset of many floaters or spots floating in the vision, flashinglights, a shadow or curtain covering a portion of the vision, sudden blur in the vision.A retinal detachment is more likely to occur in people who are nearsighted or haverelatives who have had a retinal detachment, have lattice degeneration, or have had anintraocular surgery such as cataract surgery. A detachment can occur as a result of thevitreous, the jelly-like fluid in the eye, shrinking and causing a tear in the retina. Theprimary cause of a retinal detachment is a posterior vitreous detachment. A posteriordetachment occurs when the vitreous within the eye shrinks and contracts and pulls awayfrom the retina. As the vitreous pulls away, portions of the vitreous will not fully detachfrom the retina where it can cause a tear in the retina. When a tear occurs it creates a holein the retina where vitreous fluid can leak beneath the retina and cause an accumulationof fluid. Usually, retinal detachments will start in the periphery of the retina and as fluidaccumulates under the detached retina, the detachment will progress toward the area ofcentral vision. Retina detachments can also occur as a result of trauma, advanceddiabetes, or inflammatory disorders.The above diagram shows a cross-section of a retinal detachment. The only effective treatment of retinal detachments is by surgery. If a retinal tear has notprogressed to a detachment or is small and localized, then it can be treated by an in-officelaser surgery treatment. Laser surgery can usually prevent a retinal detachment andpreserve almost all vision. Depending on the severity of the retinal detachment, thevision might not return fully following a surgical repair of the retina. If untreated, aretinal detachment can result in total vision loss, thus it is important be checked by yourdoctor at the first signs of a retinal detachment. The above diagram depicts how the vitreous is removed from the eye during vitrectomy surgery.