Is retinal detachment serious?

Written by Hu Shu Fang
Ophthalmology
Updated on September 29, 2024
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Retinal detachment is a very serious disease that affects vision, causing a black fog to appear in front of the eyes that significantly impairs visual function. If retinal detachment is not treated promptly, the eye will gradually lose vision until it finally loses all perception of sight. There are currently three causes of retinal detachment. The common cause is rhegmatogenous retinal detachment, which refers to the appearance of a tear in the retina leading to its detachment. Another type is tractional retinal detachment, commonly seen in diabetic retinopathy and other proliferative retinal disorders, where the retina is pulled away. There is also exudative retinal detachment. All require careful examination by a qualified doctor followed by timely treatment.

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Written by Zheng Xin
Ophthalmology
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Can retinal detachment heal by itself?

Retinal detachment refers to the separation between the neural epithelial layer and the pigment epithelial layer of the retina. Based on its cause, it can be categorized into rhegmatogenous retinal detachment, tractional retinal detachment, and exudative retinal detachment. Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment requires repositioning of the retina and closure of the break. If it is tractional retinal detachment, it is necessary to remove the cause, generally requiring vitrectomy and retinal reposition surgery. Exudative retinal detachment generally occurs due to inflammation or other irritations causing exudation or bleeding in the retina, resulting in detachment, typically without retinal breaks. This type of retinal detachment only requires treatment for the underlying disease, and aggressive treatment of the primary disease can generally lead to a cure. Therefore, retinal detachment must be treated; it cannot heal on its own.

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Written by Li Zhuo
Ophthalmology
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How many days does retinal detachment surgery take?

Retinal detachment surgery is divided into internal and external approaches. Generally, the surgery takes about one to two hours, or two to three hours. One method involves compressing from the outside of the eardrum, pushing the eardrum inward to reattach the retina, while the other involves operating from inside the vitreous body outward to adhere the retina to the choroid. The recovery time for these surgeries generally reaches a stable condition from one to three months. The duration of the surgery depends on the complexity of the condition; it can be as quick as just over half an hour in simple cases, or up to two to three hours in complex cases. Postoperative vision recovery primarily depends on the duration and morphology of the retinal detachment, as well as the proliferation conditions of the detached retina and the vitreous body.

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Written by Zheng Xin
Ophthalmology
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Does retinal detachment cause eye pain?

Retinal detachment refers to the separation between the neural epithelial layer and the pigment epithelial layer of the retina at the back of the eye. Its main symptoms include flashes of light, blurry vision, and visual obstruction. It is characterized by a painless, sudden decrease in vision. Therefore, patients experiencing retinal detachment will notice flashes of light and a rapid decrease in vision prior to the condition developing, without feeling pain, thus there is no pain associated with retinal detachment.

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Written by Tao Yuan
Ophthalmology
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Can retinal detachment be treated with laser?

Retinal detachment can also be treated with laser therapy. Retinal detachment is a common eye disease and a type of fundus disease. It is usually caused by eye trauma, or the development of dry breaks or degenerative areas in the peripheral retina. Patients with retinal detachment experience symptoms such as shadows obstructing parts of their vision, distorted vision, and decreased visual acuity. If the area of detachment is small, it can be treated with laser therapy to seal off the detached area, thereby preventing the condition from worsening. If the area of retinal detachment is large, it cannot be cured with laser therapy alone. Surgical treatment is needed to reposition the retina, and during surgery, laser treatment is also necessary to seal the tears or deformed areas on the retina to prevent recurrence of the detachment.

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Written by Zheng Xin
Ophthalmology
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What does a detached retina feel like?

The professional term for retinal detachment is "retinal detachment." It primarily refers to the separation between the neuroepithelial layer and the pigment epithelial layer of the retina. Early manifestations of retinal detachment may include mild vision loss, accompanied by floaters, flashes of light, or a shadow that obscures vision. As the condition progresses, symptoms gradually worsen, and when the macular area of the retina is involved, significant vision loss occurs.