Aging and Retinal Detachment Retinal detachment is more common in people age 50 and over. The average age of retinal detachment diagnosis in the United States is 57 for males and 62 for females, according to the American Optometric Association.
Retinal tears and holes are quite common. In fact, they're found in about 10% of the population. A healthy, intact retina is essential for clear vision. When a crack develops in this thin tissue, it's known as a tear.
Retinal tears occur in about 2 percent of eyes at the time of a posterior vitreous detachment. Once there is a tear, fluid can travel from inside the eye to under the retina. The risk of retinal detachment in an eye with a fresh retinal tear is about 70 percent.
What causes retinal detachment? There are many causes of retinal detachment, but the most common causes are aging or an eye injury.
Dr. McCluskey also warns that a retinal tear can progress within 24 hours, though it varies from patient to patient. Therefore, anyone experiencing sudden changes of vision should call their ophthalmologist immediately, even during a weekend.
Not all retinal tears require treatment. When low-risk tears are identified in patients who have no symptoms, these tears can be observed without treatment. Some tears “treat themselves,” meaning they develop adhesion around the tear without treatment, and these situations can be followed without treatment as well.
Our optometrist can diagnose retinal detachment using two tests. The first is a retinal exam. During this exam, we will use a special lens and a bright light to examine your retina. This test allows us to check for retinal tears, holes, or detachment.
If you frequently experience stress you might wonder, can stress cause retinal detachment? The simple answer is no, stress cannot cause retinal detachment.
Symptoms of a detached retina can happen suddenly and include: Seeing flashes of light (photopsia). Seeing a lot of floaters — flecks, threads, dark spots and squiggly lines that drift across your vision. (Seeing a few here and there is normal and not cause for alarm.)
Don't do things where you might move your head. This includes moving quickly, lifting anything heavy, or doing activities such as cleaning or gardening.
Often triggered by trauma or blow to the eye, several studies have shown that there is also a genetic component that may make some people more prone to retinal detachment than others.
Answer: As a general rule, retinal detachment occurs in both eyes in about one in ten patients with an initial retinal detachment in one eye. The second detachment in the fellow eye may occur even years later.
Aging, eye trauma, eye surgery or being drastically nearsighted may cause retinal tears or detachments.
Conclusions: The ST quadrant is the most likely location for retinal breaks, the most frequently involved quadrant in eyes with solitary breaks, and has the highest proportion of detached breaks.
Eat plenty of vitamin and nutrient-rich foods
Research shows that consuming a diet high in the nutrients lutein and zeaxanthin has been associated with a lower risk of AMD. These nutrients are all found in dark leafy greens, including: Rocket (Arugula) Bok choy (Chinese chard)
Severe dehydration with resultant shrinkage of the vitreous compartment may provide sufficient vitreoretinal traction to cause a retinal tear. In addition, an estimate of volume change showed a comparable decrease in vitreous volume seen with therapy using osmotic agents measured in rabbits.
Straining, coughing or vomiting do not lead to a retinal tear or detachment.
If you have a retinal tear, you may need treatment to prevent a retinal detachment — a medical emergency where the retina is pulled away from its normal position. There are 2 ways that your eye doctor can fix holes or tears in your retina: Laser surgery (photocoagulation) Freeze treatment (cryopexy)
If your retina has detached, you'll need surgery to repair it, preferably within days of a diagnosis. The type of surgery your surgeon recommends will depend on several factors, including how severe the detachment is.
The initial symptoms of a retinal detachment are the same as a retinal tear or a posterior vitreous detachment, i.e. flashes and floaters; however, as the detachment progresses, a dark, opaque moon-shaped shadow or curtain will appear from one side of your vision.
A retinal tear is a rip that occurs in the retina of the eye. This happens when the vitreous liquid pulls on the retina. A retinal tear will often go undetected without eye checkups and exams because its symptoms are painless.
Most patients notice no vision changes following their laser surgery, although there may be some temporary blurring for several weeks to months. In addition, depending on the condition being treated, some may notice a permanent blind spot or decrease in peripheral and night vision.
Joseph Pulitzer
The newspaper publisher behind the well-known Pulitzer Prize had a retinal detachment at the age of 42. Although blindness eventually meant the end of his 16-hour workdays, Pulitzer continued to manage the New York World newspaper from home up until retirement.