Risk Factors, Symptoms, and When to See Your Eye Doctor
Retinal detachment can happen for a wide variety of reasons, including aging or due to conditions such as to AMD (age-related macular degeneration). Because of this, it’s important to know your personal risk factors and the symptoms of retinal detachment. In this article, we’ll take a look at what retinal detachment is, risk factors, symptoms, and when to see a doctor.
What is Retinal Detachment and is it an Emergency?
Retinal detachment occurs when the thin layer of tissue at the back of the eye, known as the retina, pulls away from its regular position.
Retinal detachment is considered an emergency because the retina is separated from the layer of blood vessels that provides oxygen and nourishment to the eye. The longer a retinal detachment goes without treatment, the greater the risk of permanent vision loss in the affected eye. If you believe you are experiencing a retinal detachment, contact your ophthalmologist right away.
What are the Symptoms of a Retinal Detachment?
While it can sound painful to have a piece of your eye detaching from where it should be, it’s actually painless. There are some early symptoms that occur before the detachment becomes worse. You may notice symptoms such as:
- The sudden appearance of tiny specks or squiggly lines (called floaters) that seem to drift through your field of vision.
- Flashes of light in one or both eyes (known as photopsias).
- Blurred vision.
- Side vision (peripheral) that becomes worse.
- A curtainlike shadow over your field of vision.
Causes of Retinal Detachment
There are three main types of retinal detachment and their causes do vary.
Rhegmatogenous
This type of retinal detachment is the most common. It is caused by a hole or tear in the retina that lets fluid pass through and collect underneath the retina. This fluid builds up and causes the retina to pull away from the underlying tissues.
The most common cause of rhegmatogenous detachment is aging. As you age, gel-like material that fills the inside of your eye may change in texture and shrink or become more liquid. As the vitreous separates or peels off the retina due to changes, it may tug on the retina with enough force to cause a tear. If left untreated, liquid vitreous can pass through the tear to the space behind the retina, causing the retina to detach.
Tractional
This type of detachment can happen when scar tissue grows on the retina’s surface. Scar tissue causes the retina to pull away from the back of the eye and this form is usually seen in people who have poorly controlled diabetes.
Exudative
This type of detachment happens when fluid builds up beneath the retina, however, there are no holes or tears in the retina. This detachment form can be caused by age related macular degeneration (AMD), infection, tumors, or inflammatory conditions.
Risk Factors for a Retinal Detachment
The following factors can raise your risk of retinal detachment:
- Aging (retinal detachment is more common in people ages 40 to 70).
- Past retinal detachment in one eye.
- Family history of retinal detachment.
- Extreme nearsightedness (myopia).
- Past eye surgery, such as cataract removal.
- Past severe eye injury.
- History of other eye diseases or conditions, including retinoschisis, uveitis, or thinning of the peripheral retina called lattice degeneration.
- Having uncontrolled diabetes or an inflammatory condition.
Key Takeaways
It’s important to speak with your eye doctor about your personal risk factors and to understand the symptoms of a retinal detachment. Leaving one untreated can result in permanent vision loss. The sooner you can see an ophthalmologist after one occurs, the better your vision and eye health outcome will be.
