Retinal Detachment

• The appearance of a curtain over the field of vision.
• Seeing light flashes
• Wavy or watery vision
• A sudden decrease in vision
• A sudden increase in the number of floaters in the field of vision

• Those who are very nearsighted
• The elderly
• People with a family history of retinal detachment
• Those who have had cataract surgery
• Patients with diabetes or other eye disorders

Retinal detachments are treated with surgery that may require a hospital stay. In some cases, a scleral buckle, a tiny synthetic band, is attached to the outside of the eyeball to gently push the wall of the eye against the detached retina. If necessary, a vitrectomy may also be performed. Vitrectomy is a procedure in which the vitreous humor is removed and replaced with a gas that pushes the retina back onto the wall of the eye. Over time the eye produces fluid that replaces the gas. In both of these procedures either a laser or a cryopexy (a freezing device) is used to “weld” the retina back in place.