Detached Retina

[shack]

So, nobody knows if there is any pro-active measures that can be taken to prevent a tear in the retina?

Exercise the retinal muscles so they are stronger.

 

[fluffy]

Anybody suffered a full or partial detached retina? Are you ok now?

I suffered a partially detached retina about 3 years ago. The vision in that eye fully recovered.

First thing they did in emergency was inject an air bubble into my eye. The bubble is to float upwards and press the retina back into position. I was to keep my head tilted at a certain position for a day and even sleep sitting in an upward position. Then they fired a laser into my eye to cauterize the tear in the retina. This was really torturous, as the doctor had to press down on my eyeball to access the far corner of my eye where the tear was located. It was extremely uncomfortable, my eyes were watering like crazy and I desperately wanted to blink. Meanwhile, the doctor was admonishing me to keep my eyes completely still. I was really scared; it seemed unlikely that an eye could endure this abuse and not be damaged.

And after all that, the retina was still not back in place. I had to endure the whole damn thing (bubble, laser) again. Fortunately they were successful the second time.

If you see something unusual in your vision, get it checked right away. The more the retina detaches, the less chance there is of successfully re-attaching it.

 

[SkyRider]

I suffered a partially detached retina about 3 years ago.

Any idea on what caused the partial detachment?

In my case, I asked and the doctor did not know.

 

[fuji]

It's usually age related. The jelly in your eye shrinks with age and pulls the retina off. Alternately the shape of your eye changes with age, especially if you are nearsighted, and stretches the retina which eventually breaks

 

[fuji]

I suffered a partially detached retina about 3 years ago. The vision in that eye fully recovered.

First thing they did in emergency was inject an air bubble into my eye. The bubble is to float upwards and press the retina back into position. I was to keep my head tilted at a certain position for a day and even sleep sitting in an upward position. Then they fired a laser into my eye to cauterize the tear in the retina. This was really torturous, as the doctor had to press down on my eyeball to access the far corner of my eye where the tear was located. It was extremely uncomfortable, my eyes were watering like crazy and I desperately wanted to blink. Meanwhile, the doctor was admonishing me to keep my eyes completely still. I was really scared; it seemed unlikely that an eye could endure this abuse and not be damaged.

And after all that, the retina was still not back in place. I had to endure the whole damn thing (bubble, laser) again. Fortunately they were successful the second time.

If you see something unusual in your vision, get it checked right away. The more the retina detaches, the less chance there is of successfully re-attaching it.

Good to hear you got your vision back! How long did it take before you were 100%? Were you back to normal after the bubble dissipated?

 

[SkyRider]

especially if you are nearsighted

In that case, would it be advisable to get laser surgery to correct the nearsightedness?

 

[fuji]

In that case, would it be advisable to get laser surgery to correct the nearsightedness?

I don't know that it would help. You're nearsighted because your eye is elongated internally, and the elongated eye puts more stress on the retina, which raises the risk of a detachment. Laser surgery is correcting your vision by modifying the lens, it's doing nothing for the internal shape of your eye.

The opthalmologist can change the internal shape of your eye by installing a prosthetic buckle but that's major surgery and if you don't actually have a retinal break probably better not to fuck with the eye and potentially cause problems when you initially had none (first do no harm).

With diabetics they sometimes proactively use that laser you got to basically nail down the retina proactively by burning all the way around the outside of it, because diabetics have such a high likelihood of a break. But this also has risks, the laser can damage you vision (and WILL impact your peripheral vision) or even accidentally burn a nerve. Why take the risk if your eye is otherwise healthy.

Note these are different lasers. The one you got to sew up your tear burned the back of your eye, the retina. The laser that corrects vision burns the front, the lens.

 

[shack]

It's usually age related.

Are you sure? I'd thought that it was more frequently due to trauma than a degenerative condition.

 

[fluffy]

Any idea on what caused the partial detachment?

In my case, I asked and the doctor did not know.

I was told that a blow to the head, even one dating back many years, could cause it. Also there is some genetic susceptibility.

Good to hear you got your vision back! How long did it take before you were 100%? Were you back to normal after the bubble dissipated?

About 1 week. I was very surprised and relieved. I guess eyes are more durable than one would think.

 

[fuji]

Are you sure? I'd thought that it was more frequently due to trauma than a degenerative condition.

In younger people some sort of trauma would be the most common explanation, but in people over 50 the most common reason would be vitreous detachment pulling the retina off.

I wouldn't call it a degenerative condition. The vitreous shrinks as a normal part of aging, it happens to everyone. In about 75% of people the vitreous will eventually separate from the retina, and in most cases that happens without causing the retina itself to detach, but about 5% of people will eventually suffer a retinal detachment as a result of a vitreous detachment. It's more common in nearsighted people because the oblique shape of their retina means the retina is under more stress and is more easily torn. For whatever reason it's a lot more common in people with diabetes, and there are various degenerative conditions which also make it more common.

I know all this because someone in my family experienced it, and it was multiple 2+ hour surgeries and a 6 month recovery process, so we learned a lot about the condition, what causes it, etc., I'm repeating to you what the doctors told her and also during that time we did a lot of researching about the condition to find out whether what the doctors were saying was true and what questions we should be asking.

I'm interested in hearing fluffy's experience because it seems to have been smoother than what happened to my relative--she had to have the surgery four times.

 

[SkyRider]

The vitreous shrinks as a normal part of aging, it happens to everyone.

Other eye conditions to watch for as one ages are:

age related macular degeneration
cataracts
glucoma