What causes retinal deterioration?
Various environmental factors, traumatic injury, as well as inherited genetic disorders, can lead to retinal degeneration. In industrialized countries, age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is now the leading cause of untreatable blindness in people of 50 + years (National Eye Institute, 2015).
What causes retinal detachment in cats?
Retinal detachment is most frequently associated with high blood pressure, an overly active thyroid gland, or kidney disease. In some instances, prompt and proper veterinary treatment can restore partial vision to a cat with a retinal detachment, but in most cases, permanent blindness will result.
Does retinal detachment happen suddenly?
These signs can occur gradually as the retina pulls away from the supportive tissue, or they may occur suddenly if the retina detaches all at once. Up to 50% of people who experience a retinal tear will have a retinal detachment.
Can a retinal tear heal on its own?
Very rarely, retinal detachments are not noticed by the patient and can heal on their own. The vast majority of retinal detachments progress to irreversible vision loss if left untreated so it is important to monitor any changes noticed in your vision.
What is the most common cause of retinal detachment?
There are many causes of retinal detachment, but the most common causes are aging or an eye injury. There are 3 types of retinal detachment: rhegmatogenous, tractional, and exudative.
What do flashing lights look like with retinal detachment?
Light flashes. Sudden appearance of many floaters. A shadow or curtain over part of your visual field (usually this comes as detachment progresses; thank goodness mine didn’t go that far)
How do you know if you have a retinal tear?
A sudden appearance of light flashes, which could be the first stage of a retinal tear or detachment. Having a shadow appear in your peripheral (side) field of vision. Seeing a gray curtain slowly moving across your field of vision. A sudden decrease in vision, including focusing trouble and blurred vision.
What does retinal damage feel like?
If the damage is near the macula, one could notice various visual effects such as general poor vision, distortion of images such as straight lines appearing wavy, blurry spots in one’s central vision, and/or vision with images appearing and disappearing. Typical symptoms of a damaged retina include: Dim central vision.
Can you go blind from detached retina?
Retinal detachment separates the retinal cells from the layer of blood vessels that provides oxygen and nourishment. The longer retinal detachment goes untreated, the greater your risk of permanent vision loss in the affected eye.
How soon do you need surgery after retinal detachment?
It also will increase the chance of preserving good vision. If the macula detaches, it is too late to restore normal vision. Surgery can still be done to prevent total blindness. In these cases, eye doctors can wait a week to 10 days to schedule surgery.
How long does it take to recover from a torn retina?
You will need 2 to 4 weeks to recover before returning to your normal activities. This care sheet gives you a general idea about how long it will take for you to recover. But each person recovers at a different pace. Follow the steps below to get better as quickly as possible.
How do you test for retinal damage?
Diagnosis
- Retinal examination. The doctor may use an instrument with a bright light and special lenses to examine the back of your eye, including the retina.
- Ultrasound imaging. Your doctor may use this test if bleeding has occurred in the eye, making it difficult to see your retina.
How do I know if my retina is damaged?
Symptoms of a damaged retina are dim vision, blurring of vision, flashes of light, and more. The retina is the innermost layer in the back of the eye and is the portion of the eye that receives light.
