Retina and Vitreous Body

A healthy retina is crucial for our vision. Like a light-sensitive film, it lines the inside of the eye and converts incoming light into electrical signals for our brain.

The Retina: The Seeing Brain

In retinal detachment, fluid from the vitreous body flows under the retina through a tear in the retina. This process is usually rapidly progressive. If the center of the retina (macula) detaches, the prognosis for vision significantly worsens even after surgery.

Examples of Retinal Diseases

The lens of the eye is clear and transparent in youth. With increasing age, a slow clouding and hardening of the eye lens occurs.

Causes of Retinal Detachment

Rhegmatogenous Retinal Detachment

Causes of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment can be due to an injury. The retinal injury can also be partial. This is the most common form of retinal detachment.

Tractional Retinal Detachment

In tractional retinal detachment, the vitreous body partially or completely detaches from the retina. This can create a tear in the retina. The tear, in turn, can cause retinal detachment.

Exudative Retinal Detachment

Here, fluid accumulates between the retina and the choroid. The fluid originates from the vessels of the choroid.

Treatment Options for Retinal Detachment

Symptoms of Retinal Detachment

Symptoms of incipient (painless) retinal detachment include:

  • Perception of flashes (even in darkness) in the affected eye
  • Sudden onset of symptoms resembling a shower of soot
  • As well as sudden onset of blurry vision
  • Shadowing from the periphery towards the center of vision

Patients experiencing such symptoms should consult an ophthalmologist immediately.

Once the center of the retina, or the macula (the area of the retina with which we see most sharply), is detached, visual acuity often remains reduced.

Prophylaxis and Early Detection

With early detection, surgery has a good chance of success, and the affected person will not experience visual impairment later.

Eyeglasses or Contact Lenses

The therapeutic methods for retinal detachments are diverse.

The degree of retinal detachment and the extent of the retinal hole determine the optimal therapeutic method.

Overall, surgical intervention is usually the only effective method.