Retinal detachment is a serious condition which needs immediate medical treatment. This basically occurs when the retina begins to pull apart from the back of the eye, although the causes of this are various and in many cases cannot be prevented. When the retina starts to detach, it is important to seek immediate treatment so that it can be rectified or at least halted.
There are several different treatments available for retinal detachment, and each of these will be used in specific circumstances and depending on the severity of the detached retina. Your doctor or eye specialist will be able to advise on the correct one in order to stop vision deteriorating further and even to put the retina back in place. Vitrectomy surgery and scleral buckling surgery are the two operations used to treat retinal detachment.
The earlier treatment is sought the better the prognosis. For this reason, it is a good idea to know the symptoms of detached retina so that medical help can be found right away. Here are some of the main signs that people suffering from the condition may notice, all of which should be taken seriously.
One of the first signs of retinal detachment is that there is an increase in the number of floaters in the eye. Floaters are little specks that can appear in the field of vision. Having some floaters and their appearance is not always indicative of a serious condition, although an increase in the number of these can signal a detached retina.
Indeed, the specks can be a symptom of failing vision and blood in the eye which comes with retinal detachment. The increase in the presence of floaters can be either a sudden or a gradual one. It is always a good idea to keep an eye on how many floaters you have and observe if this changes significantly over the short term or long term.
Another major symptom of retinal detachment is seeing flashes of light in the eye. These flashes of light occur when moving the eyes or the head. Often, flashes of light can be seen in the peripheral vision. Due to this, it is not always easy to spot these flashes of light, but they are more visible when you are in a dark room or against a dark background.
In some cases, the symptoms of this condition can occur very rapidly. This can be in contrast with the appearance of floaters or flashes of light, which may appear on a more gradual basis. In the case of a sudden detached retina, there are some very serious symptoms that occur.
These can be described as a curtain appearing over the field of vision. This amounts to a darkened section in the eye that appears almost like a shadow. Again, this is more likely to occur in the outer field of vision, and can be missed by some people who to experience this particular symptom.
Of course, retinal detachment is a condition that grows worse over time, and the shadow will grow larger and start to seriously affect vision. The same is true of floaters and flashes of light, which may suddenly appear or just get worse over a longer period of time.
It should be noted that, generally, there are some symptoms which are not common with retinal detachment – these include experiencing pain in the eyes. Although many people associate eye pain with eye problems, in this case it is not indicative of retinal detachment and instead is probably linked to something entirely different, although you should still see a doctor.
It is worth noting that a detached retina will normally occur in one eye at a time only. However, it is true that people who are suffering from this condition are more likely to suffer from it again in the opposite eye. If you have already suffered retinal detachment in one eye, make sure that you are aware that it could occur again in the other one.