• Retinal Tear
• Retinal Detachment

Torn or Detached Retina – Diagnosis and Treatment at our Tampa Bay, Florida Center

Retinal Tear

In a young, healthy eye, the retina is attached to a substance called vitreous gel. As we age, the vitreous gel inside of the eye becomes thinner and separates from the retina. This separation is called posterior vitreous detachment (PVD). PVDs typically cause eye floaters, but are otherwise relatively harmless. However, sometimes the traction caused by the detachment can create a tear in the retina. Retinal tears frequently lead to retinal detachments. If caught early, they can often be sealed with laser treatment or through cryotherapy, a procedure that uses nitrous oxide to freeze the retina and keep it in place.

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Retinal Detachment

Retinal detachment occurs when the retina’s sensory and pigment layers separate. The problem is most commonly seen in the middle-aged and elderly.

A detached retina is a serious problem that requires immediate attention from an experienced eye surgeon. We urge you to contact our Florida practice immediately if you are experiencing symptoms of this condition. Without immediate surgery, retinal detachment can result in devastating damage to your vision.

Types of Retinal Detachment

There are three types of retinal detachments:

• The most common type occurs when there is a break in the sensory layer of the retina and fluid seeps underneath, causing the layers of the retina to separate. Nearsighted people are more susceptible to this type of detachment because their eyes are longer than average from front to back, causing the retina to be thinner and more fragile. Patients who have undergone eye surgery or have experienced a serious eye injury are also at greater risk for this type of detachment.
• The second most common type occurs when strands of vitreous or scar tissue create traction on the retina, pulling it loose. Patients with diabetes are more likely to experience this type.
• The third type of detachment happens when fluid collects underneath the layers of the retina, causing it to separate from the back wall of the eye. This type usually occurs in conjunction with another disease affecting the eye that causes swelling or bleeding.

Signs and Symptoms of Retinal Detachment

The following are some common signs of retinal detachment:

• Light flashes
• "Wavy" or "watery" vision
• Veil or curtain obstructing vision
• Shower of floaters that resemble spots, bugs, or spider webs
• Sudden decrease of vision

If you are experiencing symptoms of a detached retina, contact an eye surgeon at our Florida practice right away. Receiving immediate treatment increases the chance that you may regain lost vision and/or limit further loss.

Treatment

There are a number of ways to treat retinal detachment. Your retinal surgeon will determine which treatment is best for you based on the type, severity, and location of the detachment.

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Pneumatic Retinopexy

In this procedure, the retina surgeon numbs the eye with local anesthesia and injects a small gas bubble into the eye’s cavity. The bubble facilitates the repositioning of the retina back into its normal location, and keeps the two detached layers up against each other. Because the gas rises, this treatment works best for detachments in the upper portion of the eye.

Over a period of one to two weeks, the eye gradually absorbs the gas bubble. During that time, your eye surgeon will perform another procedure at our Florida practice to "tack down" the retina. This can be accomplished with a laser or through cryotherapy.

Scleral Buckle

If you have a detached retina of a certain size and location, your retina surgeon at our Tampa Bay area center may treat it with a scleral buckle. When this technique is used, a tiny sponge or band made of silicone is secured around the eyeball, pressing inward and holding the retina in position. It is placed beneath the eyelids so it will not be visible after surgery.

After placing the scleral buckle, your retina surgeon may perform a surgical procedure called a vitrectomy to remove the vitreous gel from the eye, and may also seal a few areas of the retina into position with laser or cryotherapy. The scleral buckle technique may elongate the eye and cause nearsightedness, which may require post-operative glasses.

Reattachment with Silicone Oil

When other retinal detachment surgeries prove ineffective, silicone oil may be used to reattach the retina. To perform this procedure, the eye surgeon removes the vitreous gel and replaces it with silicone oil. Vision is extremely poor when the oil is inside of the eye. After the retina has resealed itself against the back of the eye, a second procedure is often performed to remove the oil.

For more information about detached retina treatments, contact our eye care practice in Florida.

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