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Tests and diagnosis
By Mayo Clinic staffTests and procedures used to diagnose retinal detachment include:
- Using a bright light and special lens to see inside your eye. An ophthalmologist may be able to see a retinal hole, tear or detachment by looking at your retina with an ophthalmoscope — an instrument with a bright light and powerful lens that allows your doctor to view the inside of your eyes in great detail and in three dimensions.
- Creating a picture of your eye using sound waves. If blood in your vitreous cavity blocks the view of your retina, ultrasound examination may be useful. Ultrasonography is a painless test that sends sound waves through your eye to bounce off the retina. The returning sound waves create an image of your retina and other eye structures on a video monitor. This test usually provides the information your doctor needs to determine whether your retina is detached.
References
- Facts about retinal detachment. National Eye Institute. http://www.nei.nih.gov/health/retinaldetach/retinaldetach.asp. Accessed Oct. 8, 2010.
- Wilkinson CP. Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment. In: Yanoff M, ed., et al. Ophthalmology. 3rd ed. Edinburgh, U.K.: Mosby Elsevier; 2009. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/212799885-2/0/1869/0.html. Accessed Oct. 8, 2010.
- Arroyo JG. Retinal detachment. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Oct. 11, 2010.
- Posterior vitreous detachment, retinal breaks and lattice degeneration. San Francisco, Calif.: American Academy of Ophthalmology. http://one.aao.org/asset.axd?id=99eddbb5-cf3e-4619-a411-887961b738a2. Accessed Oct. 8, 2010.
- Fletcher EC, et al. Retina. In: Riodan-Eva P, et al. Vaughan & Asbury's General Ophthalmology. 17th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2008. http://www.accessmedicine.com/resourceTOC.aspx?resourceID=19. Accessed Oct. 8, 2010.
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