The retina: tearing and detachment

A retinal detachment or tear can lead to permanent vision loss. The symptoms are therefore to be taken seriously in order to act as quickly as possible.

The retina is a thin layer of tissue on the inner back of the eye. It transmits light from the eye to the brain, which transforms it into an image.

A retinal tear is when retinal tissue is damaged but remains in place in the eye.

A detachment involves fluid seeping in and separating the different layers of the retina. This breaks nerve fibers and impairs cell function. Then follows a loss of vision that can quickly become permanent if it is not taken care of quickly.

50% of retinal tears result in retinal detachment.

Symptoms

Retinal detachment may be asymptomatic.

Symptoms or not, retinal tear or detachment is painless.

The symptoms are varied:

Headache/migraine on one side only
Spots/blackheads/floaters in vision
Sudden flashes of light
Blurry or poor vision
Shadow/curtain that seems to come down from the top of the eye or cross to one side

Symptoms may appear as the retina peels off or suddenly if the retina peels off suddenly.

1/7 person for whom flashes or floaters appear suddenly has a retinal tear or detachment.

If you have symptoms similar to those mentioned above, consult an optometrist quickly, even if these symptoms disappear quickly.

The faster the treatment, the better the chances of regaining the lost vision.

Causes and risk factors

High myopia: a longer eye and therefore an often finer retina.
An injury to the eye or face: the detachment or tear can appear even several years after the trauma.
Vitreous detachment: causes tension on the retina which can then detach.
People 50 and older are more prone to these conditions.
Family history of retinal detachment.
In rare cases: after laser surgery, cataract surgery, tumors, eye disease, diabetes, sickle cell disease…

Treatment

Surgery performed by an ophthalmologist is necessary. Again, the faster the pick-up, the better the results.

Unfortunately, surgery is not always successful. It can depend on many factors: location, cause, extent of retinal detachment, etc.

Surgery does not guarantee a return to normal vision, although it is the only treatment option.