Retinal Detachment - Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

by James S. Pendergraft

Posted on Wednesday 12th of October 2011

The retina of eyes is attached to the tissues which lie under the eye and the separation of the two is known as retinal detachment. The common causes of this situation is the breakage of the retina or the tearing of it. The breakage of the retina may be caused by the detachment of the vitreous gel from the retina. The two their part of the eye is filled with the vitreous gel and it is this gel that covers the entire retina and if the strength of the retina is fragile, it leads to its breakage. If the blood vessels in the retina are present in the breakage, it causes bleeding of the eye. However, most of the retinal detachments that happen are not a cause of injury.

If the retina tears, it gives way to the vitreous gel to get into the back of the retina. It is this layer of accumulated gel that causes the detachment of the retina from the eye. As more and more of the gel gets accumulated and layered behind the retina, the detachment increases and in some cases the entire retina is detached. This happens when the tear is very big. The retinal detachment is mostly prominent in a single eye. It does not affect both the eyes. When such an incident happens, even the other eye is thoroughly checked for any signs of tears or breaks in the retina. This is done to safeguard the second eye so that preventive measures can be taken.

The patient who is experiencing the symptoms of retinal detachment sees flashing lights in the initial stages. A person who has this symptom has to immediately see the eye doctor without further delay. The retina could be saved in many cases if shown on time. The effect of flashing light is caused by the loosening of the vitreous which allows the gel to get in contact with the retina. There is also the symptom where the person can visualize floaters. This is caused when the vitreous gel gets solid to even an insignificant extent. If treated earlier itself, the treatment is much more effective.

The treatment for retinal detachment is done with the help of laser therapy where the holing and tearing of the retina is treated. Another way of treatment is by freezing the retina. While the retina is frozen, even the gel freezes and it is thus prevented from layering at the back of the retina. This eventually prevents the retinal detachment in the initial stages. In other worse cases, where the retina is almost detached, a surgery is immediately performed. These eye surgeries are of three types:

-Scleral buckling

-Pneumatic retinopexy

-Vitrectomy

The holes and tearing that is caused in the retina has to be treated as the vision of the person is blurred or in some cases partially blinded. The impairment in the vision can aggravate and cause permanent blindness if not treated immediately. Thus it is advised to always take good care of the eyes.