Retinal detachment is a medical emergency. Learn the warning signs, who is most at risk, and why fast treatment is critical to saving your vision.

What is Retinal Detachment?

Retinal detachment is a serious eye condition that occurs when the retina, the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye, disconnects from its normal position, reducing its blood and oxygen supply and causing interference with normal vision. Retinal injury can result from a hole, tear, fluid leak, or buildup of scar tissue.

Who is at Risk?

Since retinal detachment is often caused by trauma to the eye through injury, it can happen to anyone. But those at greater risk are people of advanced age, those who are extremely myopic (nearsighted), those with a family history of retinal detachment, those who develop it as an unwanted result of eye surgery, or those with chronic conditions such as type 2 diabetes and hypertension. Approximately 1 in 100,000 people in the US are diagnosed with retinal detachment each year, which makes it a relatively rare eye condition. If left untreated, retinal detachment can result in total vision loss.

Once thought of as primarily an older person’s eye condition, retinal detachment has increased significantly among younger people over the past two decades due to sports injuries. Learn more

What the Retina Does and Why It Matters

A healthy retina is essential to good vision; in fact, you can’t see without it. Located at the back of the eye, this delicate tissue receives light and converts it into electrical signals that travel to the brain. The retina consists of three cellular layers:

• Photoreceptors, bundled into rods that manage incoming light;
• Interconnecting neurons—nerve cells that process signals sent from photoreceptors; and
• Ganglion cells, bundled to form the optic nerve, which delivers processed visual data to the brain. A damaged retina breaks the connection between the eyes and the brain.

Symptoms and When to Act

Because the retina lacks pain-sending nerves, you don’t feel retinal detachment as it happens, but you will see it. Because retinal detachment occurs painlessly, its symptoms—red flags that require immediate action—are often missed or ignored. The most common symptoms are:

• Sudden onset of multiple dark specks called floaters
• Sudden bursts, streaks, or flickers of light
• Blurred or obstructed vision, sometimes having the effect of a shadow or curtain, progressing from peripheral—side—vision to the center of the eye as the injury spreads to the section of the retina that controls central vision.

How Quickly Vision Can Be Lost Without Treatment

Watch for changes in your vision, especially if they occur suddenly. Seek immediate medical attention if you notice any of the symptoms listed above or any sudden vision change. A detached retina is always a medical emergency. Left untreated, retinal detachment that reaches the macula, where your central vision is processed, can quickly cause permanent vision loss.

The Three Types of Retinal Detachment and their Treatment

• Rhegmatogenous Detachment, the most common form of retinal detachment, occurs when vitreous gel inside the eyeball leaks from a tear or hole in the retina, pools behind the retina, and displaces it. This is typically caused by natural aging in the eye, a previous eye surgery, or extreme myopia at any age. Surgical interventions include Pars Plana Vitrectomy (PPV) (using a laser or cryotherapy), Scleral Buckling, and Pneumatic Retinopexy. Learn more about Retinal Detachment and treatments from the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

• Tractional Detachment is caused by a buildup of scar tissue on the surface of the retina that contracts and pulls the retina forward away from its normal position at the back of the eye. This type of retinal detachment mostly affects people with advanced diabetic retinopathy, sickle cell retinopathy, or those who have experienced physical ocular (eye) trauma. Microsurgery and/or laser surgery remove scar tissue in an effort to restore normal retinal function.

• Exudative or Serous Detachment affects an otherwise intact retina (no holes or tears) when inflammation, leaking blood vessels, or a tumor displaces it. This is found in people with certain inflammatory conditions, uncontrolled high blood pressure, or a tumor. This type of retinal detachment is addressed systemically rather than surgically. Depending on the cause, your doctor may treat it with medications such as corticosteroids (for inflammation), antibiotics or antivirals (for infection), blood pressure drugs (for leaking blood vessels), or radiation and chemotherapy (for tumors).

Surgery and Recovery

Most retinal detachment surgeries are outpatient procedures that take a few hours. More complex cases may take longer and require a brief inpatient hospital stay. Recovery time also varies, depending on the specifics of the case and the patient’s overall health. Retinal detachment surgeries have a high success rate. Vision improvement may be noticeable within a few weeks, with fuller restoration occurring within six months to one year.

How Retinal Detachment Is Diagnosed

Retinal detachment is best diagnosed through a comprehensive eye examination with dilation. Your eye doctor can spot a problem even before you experience symptoms. Early intervention always leads to a better outcome. For this reason, if you are over age 40, you should have your eyes checked every one to two years, even if you have no symptoms or family history of eye disease. Your eye doctor will dilate your pupils to examine the back of the eye with an ophthalmoscope. If cloudiness or blood blocks a clear view, the doctor may use ultrasound imaging (sound waves) and take detailed pictures of your retina with optical coherence tomography (OCT), which uses light waves to capture detailed images.

How to Prevent Retinal Detachment

Although retinal detachment is most commonly seen in aging eyes or in those with a family history of retinal detachment, other eye conditions, or certain chronic health issues, it can happen to anyone at any age. The best prevention is wearing eye or head protection appropriate to your activity or sport and maintaining good overall health. Protect your eyes, get annual eye exams, watch for changes in your vision, and see your eye doctor if you notice any changes. Learn more about Retinal Detachment.

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