Your risk of developing a detached retina generally increases with age simply because the vitreous changes as you grow older. You're also at greater risk if you have had a previous retinal detachment in one eye or a family history of retinal detachment or are:
- Nearsighted (myopic)
- Male
- White
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| Retinal Detachment Treatment |
The following factors can cause the vitreous to pull at and tear the retina, so they also increase your risk of retinal detachment:
- Previous eye surgery (for example, cataract removal)
- Previous severe eye injury
- Weak areas in the periphery of your retina
An ophthalmologist can determine if you have a retinal hole, tear or detachment by looking carefully at the retina with an ophthalmoscope. If blood in your vitreous cavity prevents a clear view of the retina, he or she might also use sound waves (ultrasonography) to get a precise picture of your retina.
Treatment
Surgery is the only effective therapy for a retinal tear, hole or detachment. If a tear or a hole is treated before detachment develops, or if a retinal detachment is treated before the macula (the central part of the retina) detaches, you'll probably retain much of your vision.
Surgery for retinal tears
When a retinal tear or hole hasn't yet progressed to detachment, your eye surgeon may suggest one of two outpatient procedures: photocoagulation or cryopexy. Both methods can prevent the development of a retinal detachment in most cases. Healing typically takes from 10 to 14 days. Your vision may be blurred briefly following either procedure.
Photocoagulation. During photocoagulation the surgeon directs a laser beam through a special contact lens to make burns around the retinal tear. The burns cause scarring, which usually holds the retina to the underlying tissue. This procedure requires no surgical incision, and it causes less irritation to the eye than does cryopexy.
Coyopexy. With cryopexy the surgeon uses intense cold to freeze the retina around the retinal tear. After a local anesthetic numbs your eye, a freezing probe is applied to the outer surface of the eye directly over the retinal defect. This freezing produces an inflammation that leads to the formation of a scar (much like with photocoagulation), which seals the hole and holds the retina to the underlying tissue. Cryopexy is used in instances where the tears are more difficult to reach with a laser, generally along the retinal periphery. Your eye may be red and swollen for some time after cryopexy.
Vitreous hemorrhage and retinal detachment
A vitreous hemorrhage occurs when blood spills into the vitreous cavity from torn blood vessels in the retina. The torn vessels may accompany the formation of a retinal tear. Retinal detachment in the presence of a vitreous hemorrhage is hard to diagnose and treat because blood clouds the vitreous and prevents the surgeon from viewing the retina and locating the tear. When this happens the surgeon uses ultrasonography to diagnose the retinal detachment.
Ultrasonography is a painless test that sends sound waves through the hemorrhage to bounce off the retina. The returning sound waves create an image on a monitor that allows the doctor to determine the condition of the retina and other structures inside the eye. If a retinal detachment is found, you'll need a vitrectomy to remove the blood before the surgeon can repair the detachment.
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| Retinal Detachment Treatment |
In this situation you're at high risk of developing scar tissue in the vitreous and on the retina, a condition called proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR). PVR occurs when scar tissue folds or puckers the retina like wrinkled aluminum foil and prevents the retina from being reattached by pneumatic retinopexy or scleral buckling surgery alone. To find out more, you can check out Retinal Detachment Treatment.