There are some basic symptoms of retinal problems, such as decreased vision, loss of a part of the visual field, seeing refracted objects, seeing objects larger or smaller than they are, flashes of light, and flying flies.

What is Retinal Detachment?

Retinal detachment is the separation of the intact retinal layer from the eyeball to which it is attached. It is like wallpaper separating from the wall. Retinal cells cannot function in the detached retinal region. As the width of the detached region increases, the patient's vision loss increases. It can result in complete vision loss. It is common after the age of 50. What are the symptoms? Before retinal detachment develops, patients may describe flashes of light, flying flies, or oval-round shapes. For this reason, a detailed retinal examination should be performed, especially for people who have complaints of flashes of light and flying flies, and the presence of a tear or detachment in the retinal layer should be checked. HOW MANY TYPES ARE THERE? Retinal detachment can be examined in 3 groups: tearing, retraction, and fluid accumulation. The tearing is the most common.

What are the Causes of Retinal Detachment?

If the tears or perforations in the retina are not intervened timely, retinal detachment will occur. The reasons can be listed as follows: Deterioration of the transparent gel-like substance (vitreus gel) inside the eye. Congenital retinal thinning. Advanced diabetic retinopathy. Penetrating eye injuries. Intraocular inflammations, vascular diseases, Tumoral conditions, Pregnancy, high blood pressure.

Is Every Flash of Light in the Eye a Sign of a Problem?

Light flashes that start suddenly and continue should be considered in terms of retinal tear development. Especially if there are accompanying flying flies, decreased vision, or narrowing of the visual field, the possibility of retinal tear and detachment is high. But sometimes the problem may just be the liquefaction of the jelly-like substance in our eyes. In such a picture, lightning flashes in the form of 1-2 flash bursts occur intermittently, the patient may not have a tear. However, the retina should be examined in detail by enlarging the pupil, and it should be determined whether there is a tear. Sometimes migraine sufferers may also see luminous shapes similar to flashes of light.

Does Retinal Detachment Occur in One Eye?

It is usually unilateral. However, in those with high myopia and some genetic retinal diseases, detachment may also occur in the other eye.

How Is Retinal Detachment Treated?

The treatment of retinal detachments due to tearing and traction is surgery. In retinal detachments with fluid accumulation, cortisone treatment, radiotherapy, laser, or cryotherapy (freezing) are performed for the underlying cause.

Can Retinal Detachment Be Prevented?

A retinal tear can be prevented if timely intervention is made. Laser is the gold standard in the presence of a flying fly, retinal tear that can be manifested by flashes of light, or in some congenital retinal thinning. In the case of retinal tears, the tear boundaries are surrounded by laser in the laser treatment surrounds and it prevents the tear from progressing into a retinal detachment. Thus, a subsequent surgical intervention that may be required is prevented. In this respect, the effectiveness and protection of laser treatment is very satisfactory. In addition, laser treatment for congenital retinal thinning prevents future retinal tears from reaching dangerous levels long beforehand.

What are Retinal Diseases?

They can be analyzed into 4 main groups.

Vascular Diseases of the Retina: The most important one is diabetic retinopathy. In other words, the damage given by diabetes in the fundus. Retinal vascular occlusions due to high blood pressure are also included in this group.

Macular Diseases: The macula (yellow spot) is the densest region of visual cells in the retina. It is the retinal region that provides sharp and quality vision. The most important disease in this group is age-related macular degeneration. In other words, yellow spot disease.

Hereditary Retinal Diseases: These are genetically transmitted diseases. The most important one is night blindness.

Surgical Retinal Diseases: The most important disease in this group is retinal detachment.