Among many troubles that can befall your eyes, retinal detachment is certainly one very unpleasant to deal with. The retina is the photosensitive tissue at the back of our eyes, thanks to which we are able to see the world around us, so any radical changes in it also affect our vision. What exactly is retinal detachment and how can it affect us? Let's take a look.
What is retinal detachment?
The retina is thin, the photosensitive layer which helps us perceive light, however due to various factors, it can eventually start detaching from the back of our eye, which eventually cuts its supplies of nutrients and oxygen, possibly leading to permanent damage.
There are three different types of retinal detachment depending on the cause, being rhegmatogenous, exudative and tractional. One of the biggest risk factors for the rhegmatogenous is old age. As people grow older the filling in the eye, which is the vitreous gel, eventually liquefies and as it gets more mobile, it can pull on the retina, causing tears into it. Some of the liquid can leak behind the retina, where a tear was caused, filling the space behind the retina and causing it to detach.
Tractional retinal detachment occurs when the retina is being pulled away from the back of the eye, but this time not due to liquid pouring at the back, but instead of a scar tissue that has formed. It is the second most common retinal detachment type. It occurs very often from complications caused by diabetes.
The third and rarest of them is exudative, where a fluid build up can cause serious damage to the retina. It normally occurs as a result of traumas, tumors on other serious conditions.
Retinal detachment symptoms
Sudden appearance of a lot of floaters, in your vision, is one of the symptoms. Floaters are something normal especially with older age, however if you suddenly start seeing a much larger number of them, also leading to obstructing your vision, you may have retinal detachment.
Blurred vision or loss of part of your peripheral vision are also relatively common. Flashes of light could also mean that you should book an appointment with your eye specialist as soon as possible.
Risk factors
There are multiple factors that can affect your chance of getting retinal detachment and for the different types too. Those factors include:
- Diabetes
- Genetics and other family members, who have experienced it
- Eye surgeries, including previous ones, where there retina was detached
- Old age is one of the biggest factors
How do you treat retinal detachment?
Depending on the type of RD, there are different approaches which can be taken, however, most of them involve surgery.
Vitrectomy is one of the interventions, when the vitreous is being removed from within your eye and filled with a new jelly substance.
Cryotherapy is one way of dealing with scar tissue on your retina. Using very low temperatures, the affected spot is frozen, while also getting it to attach in the tissue on the back of the eye again.
Scleral Buckling is used to return your retina back to being whole, by using a tool to freeze it. Then using a buckle it is being reattached to the back of your eye, from the outside part of your eyeball.
There are other procedures too and together with your eye specialist, you will be able to choose the best of those options for your case. One of the easiest ways to prevent serious damage from this condition, as it can be relatively hard to detect before it becomes severe, is by doing regular check ups. If you have suffered damage from it or you have other vision impairing conditions, you can check out our shop for high-quality vision aids, which will allow you to return to your daily routine faster and more seamlessly.