A Guide To Understanding Your Detached Retina

If you have been diagnosed with a detached retina, you will almost definitely need prompt surgical intervention to save your vision. However, there are varying degrees of retinal detachment. If you are concerned about new symptoms that are impacting your vision or if your eye doctor has informed you of the need for eye surgery due to a detached retina, it is a good idea to be aware of the information listed below.

Understanding Your Symptoms

It is fairly common for people to assume that if a serious risk to their vision has occurred, there will be some accompanying pain. However, that is not actually true with a detached retina. Your symptoms may be mild to start with and could seem more annoying than anything else when they first appear.  

Common symptoms of a detached retina include:

  • Reduced side vision that frequently seems darker than it should

  • Seeing brief sparks of light within your vision

  • Seeing floating items within your vision that are not actually there

Learning About Your Retinal Detachment

It is important to note that there are varying types of detached retinas. For instance, if you suffer from high blood pressure or advanced macular degeneration, you could have a higher risk of developing exudative retinal detachment. This will often manifest as the result of blood or fluid seepage from the tissue that would normally form the eyeball. These fluids then forces the retina to move away from its underlying pieces. With quick and appropriate medical or surgical intervention, vision and eye heath can usually be restored.

If you are experiencing a detached retina due to complications from previous surgeries or following an accident, you may be experiencing tractional detachment. While your eye doctor will probably still make immediate plans to repair the damage, you are likely to find that at least part of your vision has been permanently compromised after tractional detachment.

The third type of retinal detachment is known as rhegmatogenous detachment. Most people who experience retinal detachment will have the rhegmatogenous type, and its existence is strongly associated with the effects of aging. Proper treatment, including surgical intervention, for this type of detached retina will allow the majority of  patients to regain their vision.

In conclusion, a detached retina is a serious problem that can permanently affect your ability to see. Therefore, it is a good idea to know what symptoms you should watch for and to be familiar with the different types of detached retina.       


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