Nobody denies the importance of the eye in observing the world around us. The eye is regarded as one of the most precious organs in our body. Via our eyes, we can make logic about the ongoing phenomena occurring around us every day. You might have heard of the proverb "beauty is in the eye of the beholder," and that's absolutely true because without our eyes, no beauty is perceived and the world goes totally blind. So, it's very crucial to care for eyes and seek treatment as soon as possible. In this article, Retinal detachment one of the main leading blindness is explained. What's exactly Retinal detachment? How can we treat Retinal detachment? If you look for retinal detachment causes and treatments, follow us in this article.
Retinal detachment is an eye disorder in which the retina separates from the layer underneath (sensory retina from retinal pigmented epithelium which is the layer of blood vessels that provides oxygen and nourishment) when retinal cells are no longer supplied with blood, they die, and the patient can lose his vision in that sight. It is important to know that Retinal Detachment is an emergency situation.
1) Rhegmatogenous is the most common one. Rhegmatogenous detachments are caused by a hole or tear in the retina that allows fluid to pass through and collect underneath the retina, making the retinal cells away from their blood supply and nourishment. Rhegmatogenous is mostly caused by age.
2) Tractional: This detachment may happen when scar tissue (fibrous) grows on the retina's surface again, pulling the retina away from the back of the eye. Simply put, the cause of Tractional detachment is typically seen in people who have poorly controlled diabetes or other conditions.
3) Exudative: In this type, fluid accumulates beneath the retina without having any holes or tears in the retina. Exudative can be caused by age-related macular degeneration, injury to the eye, tumors, or inflammatory disorders.
As we grow older, the gel-like material that exists inside our eyeball (vitreous) may change in consistency; therefore, it shrinks or becomes more liquid. Normally, the vitreous separates from the retinal surface without causing any complications, but in some other cases, the detachment can cause a condition we call as posterior vitreous detachment (PVD). However, tears that make the liquid vitreous pass through cause detachment.
Many risk factors can lead to retinal detachment, such as the main eye issues like Glaucoma, severe myopia, Retinoblastoma, or a family history of retinal detachment. It may also be iatrogenic, which means caused by a medical procedure like cataract surgery. On the other hand, it occurs secondary to medical conditions such as AIDS, diabetic retinopathy, Eclampsia, metastatic cancer, or malignant hypertension.
Generally speaking, retinal detachment is diagnosed in two ways:
1) Retinal examination: in this examination, your physician may use the ophthalmoscope, a device with a light and lenses to see the back of your eye, the retina, for instance. This examination provides a comprehensive, detailed view for your doctor to see the detachment, tears, or holes.
2) Ultrasound image: if your retina is bleeding, it will be hard to see with an ophthalmoscope, so your doctor might suggest an ultrasound imaging.
Retinal detachment usually starts as a hole or a tear. As time passes on, if the underlying cause is not cured, it can progress to retinal detachment.
If the retinal holes or tears have not yet progressed to detachment, your doctor might suggest a different treatment. Two methods are used for retinal holes or tears treatment:
1) Laser surgery or photocoagulation, in which a laser beam is directed to pass through pupils and weld the area around the tear to the underlying tissue.
2) The other method is Freezing (cryopexy), which is similar to the previous process; the doctor first uses local anesthesia and then a freezing probe by directing it over the tear; therefore, it makes a scar that helps the retinal wall to be secured.
According to the severity of the detachment, your physicians can suggest a different surgery to treat detachment treatment. These surgeries include:
1) Pneumatic retinopexy: in this procedure, the doctor injects an air bubble that pushes the affected part preventing the liquid from passing outside. The fluid leaking under the retina will be absorbed by time, and the bubble also will be absorbed subsequently.
2) Scleral buckling: here, the surgeon sews a piece of silicon over the affected part of the sclera. This procedure can relieve the force existing on the retina. In severe cases, the surgeon might use a whole eye buckle to cover all around the eyeball, but this will not affect your vision.
3) Vitrectomy: is a procedure in which the surgeon drains the vitreous fluid and replaces it with air, gas, or silicon oil. This procedure helps flatten the retina. In the case of using silicon oil, the surgeon might remove it months later, but for gas and air, they both will be absorbed and replaced with body fluids. Some surgeons might do both scleral buckling and vitrectomy at the same time, depending on the case.
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