Eye disorder due to fluid leaking behind the retina through physical damage, by traction, or by fluid exuding from the retina.Encyclopedia Entry for Retinal Detachment :Retinal detachment repair. Most retinal detachment repair operations are urgent. A detached retina does not get a supply of oxygen. This causes the cells in the area to die, which can lead to blindness. If holes or tears in the retina are found before the retina detaches, the eye doctor can close the holes using a laser. This procedure is most often done in the health care provider's office. If the retina has just started to detach, a procedure called pneumatic retinopexy may be done to repair it. Pneumatic retinopexy (gas bubble placement) is most often an office procedure. The eye doctor injects a bubble of gas into the eye. You are then positioned so the gas bubble floats up against the hole in the retina and pushes it back into place. The doctor will use a laser to permanently seal the hole. Severe detachments need more advanced surgery. The following procedures are done in a hospital or outpatient surgery center: The scleral buckle method indents the wall of the eye inward so that it meets the hole in the retina. Scleral buckling can be done using numbing medicine while you are awake (local anesthesia) or when you are asleep and pain free ( general anesthesia ). The vitrectomy procedure uses very small devices inside the eye to release tension on the retina. This allows the retina to move back into its proper position. Most vitrectomies are done with numbing medicine while you are awake. In complex cases, both procedures may be done at the same time.Retinal detachments DO NOT get better without treatment. Repair is needed to prevent permanent vision loss. How quickly the surgery needs to be done depends on the location and extent of the detachment. If possible, the surgery should be done the same day if the detachment has not affected the central vision area (the macula). This can help prevent further detachment of the retina. 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.Risks for retinal detachment surgery include: Bleeding Detachment that is not completely fixed (may require more surgeries) Increase in eye pressure (elevated intraocular pressure) Infection General anesthesia may be needed. The risks for any anesthesia are: Reactions to medicines Problems breathing You may not recover full vision.The chances of successful reattachment of the retina depend on the number of holes, their size, and whether there is scar tissue in the area. In most cases, the procedures DO NOT require an overnight hospital stay. You may need to limit your physical activity for some time. If the retina is repaired using the gas bubble procedure, you need to keep your head face down or turned to one side for several days or weeks. It is important to maintain this position so the gas bubble pushes the retina into place. People with a gas bubble in the eye may not fly or go to high altitudes until the gas bubble dissolves. This most often happens within a few weeks.Most of the time, the retina can be reattached with one operation. However, some people will need several surgeries. More than 9 out of 10 detachments can be repaired. Failure to repair the retina always results in loss of vision to some degree. After surgery, the quality of vision depends on where the detachment occurred, and the cause: If the central area of vision (macula) was not involved, vision will usually be very good. If the macula was involved for less than 1 week, vision will usually be improved, but not to 20/20 (normal). If the macula was detached for a long time, some vision will return, but it will be very impaired. Often, it will be less than 20/200, the limit for legal blindness.Scleral buckling; Vitrectomy; Pneumatic retinopexy; Laser retinopexy; Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment repair.Detached retina Detached retina Retinal detachment repair - series Retinal detachment repair - series.Connolly BP, Regillo CD. Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment.Encyclopedia Entry for Retinal Detachment :Retinal detachment. The retina is the clear tissue that lines the inside of the back of the eye. Light rays that enter the eye are focused by the cornea and lens into images that are formed on the retina. The most common type of retinal detachment is often due to a tear or hole in the retina. Eye fluid may leak through this opening. This causes the retina to separate from the underlying tissues, much like a bubble under wallpaper. This is most often caused by a condition called posterior vitreous detachment. It can also be caused by trauma and very bad nearsightedness. A family history of retinal detachment also increases your risk. Another type of retinal detachment is called tractional detachment. This type occurs in people who have uncontrolled diabetes, had retinal surgery before, or have long-term (chronic) inflammation. When the retina becomes detached, bleeding from nearby blood vessels can cloud the inside of the eye so that you may not see clearly or at all. Central vision becomes severely affected if the macula becomes detached. The macula is the part of the retina responsible for sharp, detailed vision.Symptoms of detached retina can include: Bright flashes of light, especially in peripheral vision. Blurred vision. Floaters in the eye that appear suddenly or a sudden increase in the amount of floaters. Shadow or blindness in a part of the visual field of one eye that occurs as decreased vision around the outer edges of your vision or as a curtain or shadow falling over your visual field. There is usually no pain in or around the eye.The ophthalmologist (eye doctor) will examine your eyes. Tests will be done to check the retina and pupil: Using special dye and camera to look at blood flow in the retina (fluorescein angiography) Checking pressure inside the eye ( tonometry ) Examining the back part of the eye, including the retina ( ophthalmoscopy ) Checking eyeglass prescription ( refraction test ) Checking color vision Checking the smallest letters that can be read ( visual acuity ) Checking structures at the front of the eye ( slit-lamp examination ) Ultrasound of the eye.Most people with a retinal detachment need surgery. Surgery may be done right away or within a short time after diagnosis. Some types of surgery can be done in your doctor's office. Lasers may be used to seal tears or holes in the retina before a retinal detachment occurs. If you have a small detachment, the doctor may place a gas bubble in the eye. This is called pneumatic retinopexy. It helps the retina float back into place. The hole is sealed with a laser. Severe detachments require surgery in a hospital. These procedures include: Scleral buckle to gently push the eye wall up against the retina Vitrectomy to remove gel or scar tissue pulling on the retina, used for the largest tears and detachments Tractional retinal detachments may be watched for a while before surgery. If surgery is needed, a vitrectomy is usually done.How well you do after a retinal detachment depends on the location and extent of the detachment and early treatment. If the macula was not damaged, the outlook with treatment can be excellent. Successful repair of the retina does not always fully restore vision. Some detachments cannot be repaired.A retinal detachment causes loss of vision. Surgery to repair it may help restore some or all of your vision.A retinal detachment is an urgent problem that requires medical attention within 24 hours of the first symptoms of new flashes of light and floaters.Use protective eye wear to prevent eye trauma. Control your blood sugar carefully if you have diabetes. See your eye care specialist once a year. You may need more frequent visits if you have risk factors for retinal detachment. Be alert to symptoms of new flashes of light and floaters.Detached retina.Eye Eye Slit-lamp exam Slit-lamp exam.American Academy of Ophthalmology Preferred Practice Pattern Guidelines. Posterior vitreous detachment, retinal breaks, and lattice fegeneration PPP -- 2014. www.aao.org/preferred-practice-pattern/posterior-vitreous-detachment-retinal-breaks-latti-6. Updated October 2014. Accessed October 9, 2017. Bowling B. Retinal detachment.