About The Retina and Retinal Detachment
at Center for Sight in Massachusetts and Rhode Island

The Retina is the light sensitive layer of tissue that lines the inside of your eye.  It is composed of nerve fibers that are responsible for transmitting nerve impulses to the Optic Nerve, so that they can be converted to visual messages in the brain.  Under normal circumstances, the Retina is attached to underlying tissue so that it “lines” the inner surface of the eye.  If the Retina is lifted or pulled away from the underlying tissue, it is called a Retinal Detachment. A Retinal Detachment is a serious medical problem and requires rapid emergency treatment to try to prevent severe vision loss and possibly blindness.

The Prevalence and Risk of Retinal Detachment

In normal, healthy eyes, the risk of Retinal Detachment is about 5 per 100,000 per year with a greater frequency in the middle aged or elderly population of perhaps 20 per 100,000 per year.  Retinal Detachment is more frequent if you are myopic, or nearsighted and especially if your prescription is above 6.00 Diopters of correction.  In fact, 67% of Retinal Detachment cases occur in myopic eyes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retinal_detachment).

Further, Retinal Detachment is more prone to occur in association with certain eye conditions and diseases including after cataract surgery and in patients suffering from Diabetic Retinopathy.  Fortunately, with modern cataract surgery and early treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy, the incidence of Retinal Detachment is low.

Retinal Detachment

Symptoms of Retinal Detachment

Types of Retinal Detachment

Treatment of Retinal Detachment