Retinal detachment

Introduction: Retinal detachment

Retinal detachment (or "detached retina") is a serious eye condition needing immediate diagnosis and often urgent eye surgery avoid vision loss in the affected eye. Visual floaters and flashes are common symptoms that need immediate diagnosis, but retinal detachment is not the most common cause of floaters/flashes with other less serious conditions such as vitreous detachment more common. All such symptoms of retinal detachment need urgent diagnosis because of the severe outcome if the problem is caused by retinal detachment.

Symptoms of Retinal detachment

• Floaters
• Dark spots seen in the visual field
• Flashes
• Blurred vision
• Blurred central vision

See full list of 12 symptoms of Retinal detachment

Home Diagnostic Testing

Home medical testing related to Retinal detachment:

• Vision & Eye Health: Home Testing:
  • Home Eye Tests
  • Home Vision Tests

Medical Textbooks Online about Retinal detachment

Book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.

Diagnostic Tests for Retinal detachment

• Dilated eye exam
• Retinal exam
• Peripheral retinal exam
• Ophthalmoscopy

Read more about tests for Retinal detachment

Wrongly Diagnosed with Retinal detachment?

• Misdiagnosis of Retinal detachment
• Underlying causes of Retinal detachment (possibly wrongly diagnosed)

Misdiagnosis and Retinal detachment

Untreated patients of Marfan's die at age 30: Marfan's syndrome is an autosomal disorder of the connective tissues. It affects the connective tissue of the skeletal, ocular and cardiovascular system. The patient is usually tall and thin with long digits, high arched palate and loose joints. He may also present with ocular and cardiac deformities. The diagnosis is based on the family history and co-relating all the findings. Of concern is aortic root dilatation which occurs in these patients and hence an annual echocardiogram is required. It must be discriminated from acromegaly, gigantism, fragile X syndrome and thyrotoxicosis by means of blood investigations. If untreated the patient dies at the age of 30 or 40 years. Genetic counselling for the family is needed....read more »

Read more about Misdiagnosis and Retinal detachment

Causes of Retinal detachment

• Retinal tear
• Diabetic retinopathy
• Vitreous detachment
• Posterior vitreous detachment
• Lattice degeneration

See full list of 12 causes of Retinal detachment

More information about causes of Retinal detachment:

• Medications, drugs, or substances causing Retinal detachment (18 listings)
• Underlying causes of Retinal detachment
• Retinal detachment as a complication caused by other conditions
• Retinal detachment as a symptom
• Medical news summaries relating to Causes of Retinal detachment

Treatments for Retinal detachment

• Emergency eye treatment - often eye surgery is required urgently
• Laser surgery
• Cryopexy (freeze treatment)
• Liquid nitrogen cryotherapy
• Solid carbon dioxine cryotherapy

See full list of 6 treatments for Retinal detachment

Videos for Retinal detachment

Patient Surveys for Retinal detachment

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• Survey about the symptoms of your Retinal detachment
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Reseach about Retinal detachment

Visit our research pages for current research about Retinal detachment treatments.

Clinical Trials for Retinal detachment

The US based website ClinicalTrials.gov lists information on both federally and privately supported clinical trials using human volunteers.

Some of the clinical trials listed on ClinicalTrials.gov for Retinal detachment include:

• Study of Denufosol (INS37217) in Subjects With Rhegmatogenous Retinal Detachment - This study has been terminated (Current: 23 Nov 2006) - denufosol tetrasodium (INS37217) Intravitreal Injection
• Comparison of Air and Expansile Gas in Pneumatic Retinopexy - This study is currently recruiting patients (Current: 23 Nov 2006)
• Macular Function After Scleral Buckle - This study has been completed (Current: 23 Nov 2006)
• Efficacy of Oral Colchicine in Prevention of Proliferative Vitreoretinopathy in Rhegmatogenous Retinal Detachment - This study is no longer recruiting patients (Current: 23 Nov 2006) - colchicine
• The Silicone Study - This study has been completed (Current: 23 Nov 2006) - Perfluoropropane,Sulfur Hexafluoride,Silicone Oil

See full list of 10 Clinical Trials for Retinal detachment

Statistics for Retinal detachment

• Medical statistics for Retinal detachment
• Prevalence and incidence statistics for Retinal detachment
• Death and Mortality statistics for Retinal detachment
• Society statistics for Retinal detachment

Types of Retinal detachment

• Partial retinal detachment
• Total retinal detachment
• Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment - detachment due to a retinal tear
• Tractional retinal detachment - detachment due to the retina being pulled away
• Exudative retinal detachment - detachment due to fluid under the retina without any retinal tear

Read more about Types of Retinal detachment

Stories from Users Related to Retinal detachment

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Article Excerpts about Retinal detachment

This happens when the inner and outer layers of the retina become separated. With surgery or laser treatment, doctors often can reattach the retina and bring back all or part of your eyesight. (Source: excerpt from Aging and Your Eyes - Age Page - Health Information: NIA)

Definitions of Retinal detachment:

Separation of the inner layers of the retina (neural retina) from the pigment epithelium. Retinal detachment occurs more commonly in men than in women, in eyes with degenerative myopia, in aging and in aphakia. It may occur after an uncomplicated cataract extraction, but it is seen more often if vitreous humor has been lost during surgery. (Dorland, 27th ed; Newell, Ophthalmology: Principles and Concepts, 7th ed, p310-12). - (Source - Diseases Database)

Visual impairment resulting from the retina becoming separated from the choroid in the back of the eye; treated by photocoagulation - (Source - WordNet 2.1)