The retina It is located at the back of the eye, which receives the light and images we see and sends it to the brain for interpretation. That is, it allows us to interact with the environment in a visual way. Occasionally one tear and its detachmentIf this happens, you should seek immediate medical attention as early diagnosis prevents a major problem such as a potential problem blindnessThe doctor Marta S. Figueroa Director of the Retina Department at Clínica Baviera and Head of the Retina Unit at Ramón y Cajal University Hospital He explains what this eye problem consists of, what the consequences are, whether it can cause blindness, and what treatments are given to reverse this medical emergency.
What is Retinal Detachment?
The retina is a tissue that lines the back of the eye on the inside and in which the first neuron of the visual path is found. This tissue sits on a vascular layer on which it feeds, called the choroid.
There are 3 types of retinal detachment:
- Rheumatoid arthritisIt is the most common type of retinal detachment (affects 1 / 10,000 inhabitants). It occurs when a hole or tear forms in the retina through which fluid passes and separates the retina from the outer layers.
- TraccionalSomething pulls on the retina and separates it from the outer layers.
- ExudativoFluid accumulates under the retina from the vascular layer below.
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Are the causes known?
Retinal detachment Rheumatoid arthritis mainly occurs in patients with degenerative retinal lesions that grow into holes or cracks. An example are patients with myopia.
Another common cause is vitreous detachment. The vitreous humor is a gel that occupies the back of the eyeball and is attached to the retina. With age, the vitreous humor separates from the retina and sometimes tears. In the miopes this loosening of the vitreous humor occurs at a younger age.
Eye trauma can also cause retinal tears and retinal detachment.
The most common cause of shedding traccional of the retina is the diabetic retinopathyIn advanced stages of poorly controlled diabetes, abnormal blood vessels form that grow on the surface of the retina and, if not treated in time, can cause traction on the retina and release it.
Retinal detachment exudativo It has several causes: macular degeneration associated with age, diabetes, tumors, inflammation of the choroid, etc.
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What are the symptoms of retinal detachment?
The warning symptoms of retinal detachment are myodesopsia (seeing black particles that move when you move the eye) and photopsias (flashes of light seen with the eyes open in the dark). These are actually the symptoms of vitreous detachment, one of the most common predisposing lesions of retinal detachment. Once the retina is detached, the patient sees it as one stain or as a curtain covering part of the field of vision.
From time to time we diagnose retinal detachment that is not causing symptoms as an accidental finding on a routine exam.
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How Is It Diagnosed?
The diagnosis is made by one full eye exam that includes dilation of the pupil. Dilation of the pupils is essential to determine if the patient has tears that require laser treatment, preventing the occurrence of a retinal detachment, or if there is already a retinal detachment that requires surgery.
Can it cause blindness?
Today, it is rare for a retinal detachment to cause blindness if treated early. However, there are cases where multiple surgeries are required and this makes the visual prognosis darker.
Is very important to combat the landslides of the retina if the macula is not yet affected, that is, if the central area of the retina has not yet been affected, because the visual results are better after surgery.
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What treatment is there? Has progress been made?
The treatment is surgical and there are several types of surgery that can be performed with the aim of putting the retina back in place and fixing it with a laser so that it does not come off again.
The most commonly used technique is vitrectomy, where instruments are inserted into the eye through three small incisions to manipulate, insert and seal the retina.
Advances in retinal surgery have been constant in recent years. Some of the most notable are the gradual reduction in the size of the instruments, the need for no suture in many cases, intraoperative imaging tests, which allow us greater precision of the maneuvers, and the 3D operation in which both the surgeon and the rest of the team can see the operation in three dimensions.