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Symptoms
By Mayo Clinic staffRetinal detachment is painless, but retinal detachment symptoms almost always appear before it occurs. Retinal detachment symptoms may include:
- The sudden appearance of many floaters — small bits of debris in your field of vision that look like spots, hairs or strings and seem to float before your eyes
- Sudden flashes of light in one or both eyes
- A shadow or curtain over a portion of your visual field
When to see a doctor
Seek immediate medical attention if you suddenly notice retinal detachment symptoms, such as new floaters or flashes of light in your visual field or if it seems as if a dark curtain has fallen across your visual field.
- 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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