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Definition
By Mayo Clinic staffRetinal detachment is a medical emergency requiring prompt surgical treatment to preserve vision.
The retina is the light-sensitive tissue that lines the inside back wall of your eye. In retinal detachment, the retina is pulled away from the underlying choroid — a thin layer of blood vessels that supplies oxygen and nutrients to the retina.
Retinal detachment leaves retinal cells deprived of oxygen. The longer the retina and choroid remain separated, the greater the risk of permanent vision loss in the affected eye.
Fortunately, retinal detachment often has clear warning signs. If you go to an eye specialist (ophthalmologist) as soon as warning signs appear, early diagnosis and treatment of retinal detachment can save your vision.
- Retinal detachment. National Eye Institute. http://www.nei.nih.gov/health/retinaldetach/index.asp. Accessed Oct. 1, 2008.
- Wilkinson CP. Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment. In: Yanoff M, et al. Ophthalmology. 2nd ed. St. Louis, Mo.: Mosby, Inc.; 2004:982-988.
- Arroyo JG. Retinal tear and detachment. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Oct. 1, 2008.
- Kang HK, et al. Management of retinal detachment: A guide for non-ophthalmologists. British Medical Journal. 2008;336:1235-1240.
- Posterior vitreous detachment, retinal breaks, and lattice degeneration. San Francisco, Ca.: American Academy of Ophthalmology. http://one.aao.org/asset.axd?id=01c2221b-554a-4ebb-bff9-dd8e17f84008. Accessed Oct. 3, 2008.
- Fletcher EC, et al. Retina. In: Riordan-Eva P, et al. Vaughan & Asbury's General Ophthalmology. 17th ed. United States of America: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.; 2008. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aid=3088798. Accessed Oct. 1, 2008.
