Retinal detachment
Normal vision-
Vision with retinal detachment
Retinal Detachment is a process when retina becomes detached from the vascular tract. In normal eye retina and vascular tract are tightly jointed, and vascular tract nourishes retina. Retinal detachment leads to blindness if it is not treated surgically in time. It often appears after traumas or in case of nearsightedness, as well as in case of diabetic retinopathy, intraocular edemas, retinal dystrophy etc.
Reasons for retinal detachment
Main reason for retinal detachment is retinal hole. Through this hole fluid from the vitreous body penetrates under the retina, and detaches it from the vascular tract.
Main reason for retinal rupture lies in tractions of the vitreous body which usually happen if the eye changes its normal structure.
Normal vitreous body is very much like a transparent jelly. As a consequence of some ocular diseases or traumas vitreous body becomes cloudy with thick fibers that are connected with retina. As the eye moves, fibers pull retina away which might cause retinal rupture.
Retinal holes might appear because of retinal dystrophy.
Also big ruptures often happen in cases of ocular traumas.
Symptoms of Retinal Detachment
The following things might indicate retinal detachment:
- "curtain" effect across part of the visual field;
- flashes in the form of lightning or sparkles;
- distortion of letters, objects, parts of objects falling out of the vision field.
Sometimes patients say that after sleeping their vision improves. This can happen because while your body lies horizontally, retina returns to its place, but when you stand up, retina separates from vascular tract and vision imperfections come back again.
Diagnostic
In Fyodorov’s Clinic a complex examination is performed on highly precise diagnostic equipment. All examinations are fast and absolutely painless.
Examinations:
- visual acuity examination;
- visual field examination (perimetry);
- intraocular pressure examination (tonometry);
- electrophysiological examination of nerve cells and optic nerve that shows their viability;
- ultrasound examination that determines size of detached retina and condition of the vitreous body;
- examination of the fundus of the eye (ophthalmoscopy) to locate retinal ruptures and their number.
Results of the examinations will help doctors to choose the proper method of surgical treatment.
Treatment
It is impossible to treat retinal detachment by any eye drops, pills or injections! The only way to recover vision and keep the eye is an immediate surgical treatment. The earlier operation is done, the more chances improve vision!
The aim of the treatment is to locate and close the retinal rupture, to create stable adhesions between retina and vascular tract.
Depending on the type of retinal detachment doctor chooses one or several methods of surgical treatment:
1. local retinal filling in the zone of retinal rupture is done when retina is partly detached;
2. circular retinal filling is done when retina is fully detached and there are multiple ruptures;
3. vitrectomy is a method when vitreous body is removed from the eye and replaced with one of the special materials: physiological solution, liquid silicon, liquid perfluorcarbon compound or special gas, which press retina to vascular tract from the inside;
4. laser coagulation or cryopexy for limitation of rupture area and those parts of retina that became thinner;
5. retinopexy to repair detached retina by special sapphire micronails to fix the detached part of retina in cases of gigantic retinal ruptures.
Combination of these methods is chosen individually for each patient and depends on how much time has passed since retinal detachment happened, size, number of ruptures, and where they are located. Depending on different methods of treatment there might be one or several stages.
