DETACHED RETINA

The retina is the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye that sends images to the brain. Normally, the retina lies against the back of the eye where blood vessels furnish it with oxygen and nutrients. Tears in the retina may impair vision and lead to a detached retina.

A detached retina occurs when the retina pulls away from the inside wall of the eye. When this happens vision becomes blurred, shaded or distorted. The retina cannot function when these layers are detached. And unless the retina is reattached soon, permanent vision loss may result. This is therefore an emergency surgery, requiring immediate treatment. If you suddenly notice spots, floaters and flashes of light, you may be experiencing the warning signs of a detached retina.

Your vision might become blurry, or you might have poor vision. Another sign is seeing a shadow or a curtain descending from the top of the eye or across from the side.

These signs can occur gradually as the retina pulls away from the supportive tissue, or they may occur suddenly if the retina detaches immediately.No pain is associated with retinal detachment

Treatment for Detached Retina

Surgery is always required to repair a detached retina. The procedure is performed by a retinal specialist — an ophthalmologist, like Dr Alejandro Garcia , at Vision Express, who has undergone advanced training in the medical and surgical treatment of retinal disorders. Generally, the sooner the retina is reattached, the better the chances that vision can be restored.
Surgical procedures used to treat a retinal detachment include:

• Scleral buckling surgery. This is the most common retinal detachment surgery, and consists of attaching a small band of silicone or plastic to the outside of the eye (sclera). This band compresses (buckles) the eye inward, reducing the pulling (traction) of the retina and thereby allowing the retina to reattach to the interior wall of the eye. The scleral buckle is attached to the posterior portion of the eye and is invisible after surgery. Scleral buckling surgery often is combined with the following procedures to fuse the retina to its underlying supporting tissue (called the retinal pigment epithelium, or RPE).

• Vitrectomy. In this procedure, the clear jelly-like fluid is removed from the posterior chamber of the eye (vitreous body) and replaced with clear silicone oil to push the detached portion of the retina back onto the RPE.

If the detachment is caused by a tear in the retina, the surgeon usually uses a laser or a freezing probe to “spot weld” the retina and thereby seal the tear. If a laser is used, this is called laser photocoagulation; use of a freezing probe is called cryopexy. Dr Alejandro Garcia the Retinal Ophthalmologist with Vision Express has several years experience dealing with retinal detachment surgery. The Eye Surgery operating theatre at Vision Express Karlione Court, Rodney Bay has the required equipment and the expertise of Dr Garcia, Retinal Ophthalmologist, to deal with emergency cases of retinal detachment.