If possible, the surgery should be done the same day if the detachment has not affected the central vision area (the macula). This can help prevent further detachment of the retina. It also will increase the chance of preserving good vision. If the macula detaches, it is too late to restore normal vision.
Most retinal detachments occur suddenly and can threaten the central vision within hours or days. Anyone experiencing a new onset of flashes, floaters, or loss of peripheral vision should seek an urgent dilated exam with an ophthalmologist.
Dr. McCluskey also warns that a retinal tear can progress within 24 hours, though it varies from patient to patient. Therefore, anyone experiencing sudden changes of vision should call their ophthalmologist immediately, even during a weekend.
Vision may take many months to improve and in some cases may never fully return. Unfortunately, some patients, particularly those with chronic retinal detachment, do not recover any vision. The more severe the detachment, and the longer it has been present, the less vision may be expected to return.
Older people are at higher risk of retinal detachment. If left untreated, a detached retina can cause permanent damage to your eyesight.
Retinal detachment can cause permanent vision loss — but getting treatment right away can help protect your vision.
Retinal detachment causes blindness and affects approximately 1 in 10,000.
Like central retinal vein occlusion, peripheral retinoschisis shares similar indications with another condition. In this instance, it is that peripheral retinoschisis gets misdiagnosed as retinal detachment. In either condition, the retina may be elevated.
Retinal detachment diagnosis
If you're experiencing symptoms, an optician should be able to confirm whether you have a retinal tear or detachment. They can make an urgent referral to a hospital ophthalmologist for specialist assessment and treatment.
A minor detachment may not be noticeable yet, but your optometrist will see it when examining your retina during a routine comprehensive eye exam. Once the detachment is more severe, patients notice: Obscured vision or shadows at the center or on the peripheral (sides) of the visual field.
Retinal detachment is a medical emergency, and early treatment is important to protect your vision. If you have a retinal detachment, you may need surgery to reattach your retina to the back of your eye within a few days.
Retinal surgery is usually painless and performed while you remain awake and comfortable. Advances in technology have decreased the length of surgery making outpatient eye surgery possible. Before the procedure begins, you will be given anesthetic eye drops that numb the eyes.
You do not normally need to stay in hospital overnight. Recovery time after surgery varies. But as a general guide, for 2 to 6 weeks after surgery: your vision may be blurry.
A detached retina doesn't cause any eye pain or even a headache, but it can change your vision. For example, the most common warning sign is a sudden increase in the number of floaters in your eye. It might look like a waterfall of floaters sliding over your field of vision.
Signs and Symptoms of Retinal Tears
Black spots in field of vision. Flashes of light. Blurry vision. Darker/dimmer vision.
A patient with an acute retinal tear may experience the sudden onset of black spots or “floaters” in the affected eye. This can have the appearance of someone shaking pepper in your vision. Flashes of light (Photopsia) are another common symptom.
These include: New onset of a large floater or sudden increase in many floaters. Sudden flashes of light, especially when persistent. When a dark curtain or dark shadows appear in the visual field.
The initial symptoms of a retinal detachment are the same as a retinal tear or a posterior vitreous detachment, i.e. flashes and floaters; however, as the detachment progresses, a dark, opaque moon-shaped shadow or curtain will appear from one side of your vision.
Normal floaters usually don't change much. Over the years, you may accumulate more floaters. By contrast, floaters in retinal detachment are often sudden and new. They can look like one piece of large web or strand, or there can be thousands of tiny little floaters.
A retinal detachment is an emergency situation; if you don't get prompt medical attention, you could lose your vision permanently.
Aging is the most common cause of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment. As you get older, the vitreous in your eye may change in texture and may shrink. Sometimes, as it shrinks, the vitreous can pull on your retina and tear it.
The most common type of retinal detachment is often due to a tear or hole in the retina. Eye fluid may leak through this opening. This causes the retina to separate from the underlying tissues, much like a bubble under wallpaper. This is most often caused by a condition called posterior vitreous detachment.
Joseph Pulitzer
The newspaper publisher behind the well-known Pulitzer Prize had a retinal detachment at the age of 42. Although blindness eventually meant the end of his 16-hour workdays, Pulitzer continued to manage the New York World newspaper from home up until retirement.
The operation usually takes about 90 minutes. Your surgeon can repair any tears or holes using a laser or by freezing treatment.
You should avoid exercising for at least 2 weeks following your surgery. You may resume normal activities, little by little. After week 1, you may start by walking as much as a mile. You may advance to 2 miles, in the second week and can typically run by week six.