Retinal Detachment

A retinal detachment is a medical emergency. It occurs when the retina peels away from the back wall of the eye, like wallpaper bubbling off a wall. When detached, the retina cannot function, leading to vision loss.

Disease

Symptoms

Symptoms are typically dramatic and require immediate action: The sudden appearance of many new floaters (like a shower of spots). Flashing lights in your side vision. A dark shadow or curtain spreads across your field of vision. Main Risk Factors: High nearsightedness, previous eye surgery (like cataract surgery), significant eye injury, a family history of detachments, or having a retinal tear (which often precedes detachment).

Diagnosis

An urgent, dilated eye exam is performed. The doctor will use a bright light and special lens to examine the entire retina, looking for any tears, holes, or areas of detachment. An ultrasound may be used if the view is blocked by blood.

Treatments

Surgery is always required to reattach the retina and try to save vision. The type of surgery depends on the detachment: Laser or Freezing (Cryopexy): For small tears before a detachment occurs. Pneumatic Retinopexy: A gas bubble is injected into the eye to push the retina back into place, often combined with laser. Scleral Buckle: A soft band is placed around the eye to gently indent the wall and support the retina. Vitrectomy: The vitreous gel is removed and replaced with a gas or oil bubble to hold the retina in place.

More to read

Disease

Cataract

A cataract is a clouding of the eye's natural, clear lens. Think of it as a clear window that slowly becomes frosted. This clouding scatters light, preventing a sharp image from reaching the retina. It is most commonly related to aging. However, some forms of congenital cataract are seen in children.

Disease

Refractive Error

Refractive error means that your eye does not focus light ideally onto the retina, resulting in a blurred image on the retina. This condition is not a disease, but a common problem with light focusing. Its main types include myopia (nearsightedness: nearby objects are clear while distant objects appear blurry), hyperopia (farsightedness: distance vision may be clearer than near vision), and astigmatism (vision is blurry at all distances due to an irregularly shaped cornea).

Disease

Night Blindness

Night blindness is a symptom, not a disease. It means your eyes have trouble adapting to low light. This is often due to a problem with the rod cells in your retina, which are responsible for night and peripheral vision.

Disease

Color Blindness

Most color blindness is not complete blindness to color, but a difficulty telling certain colors apart. It is usually an inherited condition (more common in males) present from birth. It happens when certain light-sensitive cone cells in your retina don't work properly. The most common type is trouble distinguishing reds from greens.

Disease

Retinopathy of Prematurity

ROP is a disease that affects premature infants. In the womb, the retinal blood vessels grow late in pregnancy. When a baby is born very early, this normal growth is interrupted. After birth, abnormal, fragile blood vessels may begin to grow in the retina. These vessels can leak and scar, potentially pulling the retina off (detachment).

Disease

Retinal Hemorrhage

A retinal hemorrhage means there is bleeding inside the layers of your retina. Think of it as a bruise on the light-sensitive film of your eye. It is a sign of an underlying problem, not a disease itself.