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What is retinal detachment? |
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Retinal detachments often develop in eyes with retinas weakened by a hole or tear. This allows fluid to seep underneath, weakening the attachment so that the retina becomes detached - rather like wallpaper peeling off a damp wall.
When detached, the retina cannot compose a clear picture from the incoming rays and vision becomes blurred and dim. |
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Who is at risk? |
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Detachment occurs in people who are
- Are extremely nearsighted
- Have had a retinal detachment in the other eye
- Have a family history of retinal detachment
- Have had cataract surgery
- Have other eye diseases or disorders, such as retinoschisis, uveitis, degenerative myopia, or lattice degeneration
- Have had an eye injury
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What are the symptoms? |
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The most common symptom is a shadow spreading across the vision of one eye. You may also experience bright flashes of light and / or showers of dark spots called floaters. These symptoms are never painful.
Many people experience flashes or floaters and these are not necessarily a cause for alarm. If your ophthalmologist has seen your retina and has reassured you, it is alright. However, if they are severe and seem to be getting worse and you are losing vision, then you should seek your ophthalmologists help. Prompt treatment can often minimise the damage to your eye. |
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What is the treatment? |
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If you get help early, it may only be necessary to have laser or freezing treatment. This is usually performed under a local anaesthetic.
Frequently, however, an operation will be needed to repair a hole or put the retina back in place. This is usually done under a local anaesthesia. In 90 per cent of cases the retina can be repaired with a single operation. The operation does not usually cause much pain, but your eye will be sore and swollen for a few days afterwards. Typically, you will be in hospital for a few hours or an overnight stay, depending on your particular condition.
We want to reassure you that the surgeon does not take your eye out of its socket to operate on it. |
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When should I start having my cholesterol level checked? |
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| Men aged 35 and older and women aged 45 and older should have their cholesterol checked periodically. Depending on what your cholesterol level is and what other risk factors for heart disease you have, you may need to have it checked more often. High cholesterol may run in families. Know your family history and discuss it with your doctor |
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How much vision can I expect after a successful operation? |
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This depends on how much the retina has detached and for how long.
The shadow caused by the detachment will usually disappear when the retina has been put back in place. If your ability to see fine detail has been damaged before the operation, this may not fully recover afterwards. However after surgery your vision can improve slowly upto one year to come near normal. If we can operate the retinal detachment in less than a week, 80 % or more will have good vision after surgery. |
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What happens after the operation? |
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You will be encouraged to get up and carry on as usual on the day after the operation, although sometimes you will be asked to keep your head in a particular position to help the healing process. Your eye specialist will prescribe eye drops and you will need to use these for a few weeks.
You can resume normal activities, including sex, as soon as you feel able. |
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What happens if the detached retina is not put back in place? |
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Most people will lose all useful vision if no operation is carried out, or if the treatment is unsuccessful.
However, further treatment is usually possible if it does not succeed the first time. Occasionally, if the detachment involves the lower portion of the retina, some vision may recover by itself. |
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Can retinal detachment be prevented? |
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If your family has a history of retinal detachment, or your doctor finds a weakness in your retina, then preventive laser or freezing treatment may be needed. However, in most cases it is not possible to take preventive action.
Retinal detachment does not happen as a result of straining your eyes, bending or heavy lifting.
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What about my other eye? |
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If you have had a retinal detachment in one eye, you are at an increased risk of developing one in the other eye. But there is only about a one in ten chance of this happening.
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