Retinal Detachment
What is the condition?
Retinal detachment occurs when the retina peels away from the blood vessel. This could be a result a retinal hole or tear, and often occurs without a warning.
How does it affect the eye?
Retinal detachment is a phenomenon where a layer of the retina separates from its original position. When this occurs, it leaves the cells of your retina lacking nourishment and oxygen. At first, retinal detachment leads to just blurry vision. However, if it is left without any treatment, it can lead to complete vision loss.
What are the symptoms of this condition?
The symptoms of retinal detachment are:
- Your peripheral vision darkens or a curtain or veil seems to appear
- You can see flashes of light
- You can see tiny floaters or flecks in your vision
What are the risk factors for developing this condition?
Some of the risk factors include:
- If you are highly nearsighted
- If this has already occurred in one of your eyes, it could happen to your other eye as well
- If you have had eye injuries/diseases before, or even an eye surgery such as a cataract removal
- You can expect to face this condition if your family has a history of it
How is this condition treated?
There are two procedures that could be done at the doctor’s office: cryopexy (a form of freeze treatment) and laser surgery. While cryopexy freezes the spot that has the retinal tear, laser surgery welds the area shut by causing small burns there.
Today, almost 90% of the cases of retinal detachment can be treated successfully. However, many of these cases require a second treatment.