Procedure for Detached Retina

Retinal detachment is a serious condition that requires immediate attention. Detachment can, if not treated promptly, result in permanent vision loss. Fortunately, according to the National Eye Institute, over 90 percent of those suffering from a detachment can be successfully treated with modern therapies. Depending on the severity of the detachment, a variety of procedures can be performed, many as office visits. Complex surgeries will still need to be done in an operating room.

Symptoms and Procedures

• Common symptoms of a detachment can include the appearance of floaters, light flashes, or a gray curtain or veil in your field of vision. While these symptoms are not proof of a detachment, you should consider just the possibility to be a medical emergency and seek out immediate examination.

  Your doctor will need to treat any tears with either laser surgery or cryoplexy. Cryoplexy is the application of intense cold via an ice probe. The resulting scar helps hold the retina to the underlying tissue. Both laser surgery and cryoplexy can cause short-term discomfort. These treatments prevent the tear or detachment from getting worse.

  For most retinal detachments, your doctor will treat them with a pneumatic retinoplexy. During this procedure your doctor injects a gas bubble into the vitreous material of the eye. This bubble pushes the retinal tear back against the wall of the eye, closing the tear.

  More serious surgeries must be performed in an operating room, and require a hospital stay. Serious procedures include the attachment of a scleral buckle. Scleral buckles are tiny synthetic bands which when attached to the outside of the eyeball, gently push its wall against the detached retina. Your doctor may also perform a vitrectomy. In a vitrectomy the doctor makes an incision in the white part of your eye, the sclera. Removal of the vitreous through this incision helps the eye to maintain a round shape.

Recovery

• Discomfort after retinal surgery is natural. Your doctor will prescribe any needed medications, and restrictions on normal activities. The gas bubble inserted into your eye during the pneumatic retinoplexy works over time to strengthen the torn material of the eye. Because of this your ophthalmologist will recommend that you keep your head at an angle to help the tear remain closed, and heal more quickly. As the gas bubbles shrinks, liquids in the eye replace it.

  As you recover, your may require additional treatment. It can take months for your vision to stabilize. Treatment results are best if the detachment is repaired before the macula detaches.