How to Treat a Detached Retina

A detached retina is a serious condition that occurs when the retina separates from the back of the eye. It requires immediate attention and treatment in order to avoid permanent vision loss. If you suffer from a detached retina, talk to your doctor about options available to treat the condition. The style of surgery will depend on the type, size and location of the detached retina. Holes or tears are usually treated with laser therapy or cryotherapy in an attempt to prevent a full detachment. Scleral buckling, pneumatic retinopexy and vitrectomy are used for actual retinal detachment.

Instructions

• 1

  Evaluate the benefits of laser surgery for treatment of small holes and tears. This procedure consists of making tiny burns around the hole to fuse the retina back into its proper place. This is a treatment option than can prevent the condition from progressing to a complete detachment, and there is no need for a hospital visit, as this surgery is typically performed in a doctor's office.

• 2

  Explore cryopexy, a simple procedure that can be performed in the doctor's office as an alternative to laser surgery to treat small holes and tears. Cryopexy freezes the area around the hole and helps reattach the retina. It is a treatment option that prevents further tearing that can lead to detachment.

• 3

  Ask your doctor about the use of a scleral buckle to treat a retina that is completely detached. The buckle is a tiny synthetic band that is attached to the outside of the eyeball to push the wall of the eye gently against the detached retina. You may need a hospital stay if this procedure is required.

• 4

  Evaluate the benefits of a virectomy if needed to repair complicated retinal detachments, such as those caused by the growth of abnormal blood vessels common with advanced diabetes. With this treatment, the doctor will make a tiny incision in the white part of your eye. He will then use a small instrument to remove the vitreous (gel-like fluid that fills your eye and gives it a round shape) and inject gas, which will replace the vitreous and push the retina against the eye wall. As the eye heals, it will gradually make fluid that will replace the gas to fill the eye properly.

• 5

  Look at pneumatic retinopexy, which is a new method for repairing a detached retina. Laser or cryotherapy is used to seal the hole or tear. A gas bubble is then injected inside the vitreous cavity to push the detached retina against the outer wall of the eye. The gas bubble will initially expand, disappearing within 6 weeks.