DEPARTMENT OF COUNSELLING
Retinal detachment
ARAVIND EYE CARE SYSTEM
Aravind Eye Hospital
& Postgraduate Institute of Ophthalmology
Retinal detachment
 It is a condition in which the retina gets
separated from its place
 It can cause sudden and painless drastic loss of
vision
 It can be of different types and due to various
causes
Causes
 Diabetic Retinopathy
 High Myopia
 Traumatic
Symptoms
 Flashes of light
 Floaters
 Visual field defect
 Sudden loss of vision
1. Flashes of light
Patient can see flashes of light especially during eye
movements, blinking, this is due to pull on the
detached retina
2. Floaters
Small black spots, cobweb-like or large black rings
may be seen by the patient
3. Visual field defect
It is perceived by the patient as a black curtain before
his eye
4. Sudden loss of vision
This can be due to retinal detachment involving the
macula
The prognosis is very poor if the macula is involved
Diagnosis
 Tractional retinal detachment (D.R)
 Executive retinal (Traumatic)
 Rhegmentogenous (Myopia)
Treatment:
Treatment of RD is essentially surgical and should
be done immediately once diagnosed
Surgery:
Surgery for retinal detachment involves three major
steps
Scleral buckling (SB)
A band or sponge made up of silicone material is
sutured firmly to the sclera to close the hole in the
retina
Cont…
Vitrectomy:
Removal of the vitreous humour is done to relieve bands
which may pull the retina and to enable the surgeon to
repair the retina
Silicone oil injection or C3F8 gas injection:
 After vitrectomy the empty vitreous cavity has to be filled
with silicone oil or with C3F8 gas injection
 Patient must undergo another surgery for removal of
silicon oil after 3-4 months
 Only after silicone oil removal patient can see better
Cont…
Disadvantages:
 If the silicone oil is not removed
within 3-4 months, patient can develop
cataract, and or glaucoma and may
occasionally experience double vision
In C3F8
 In case of C3F8, there is no need for
removal as it is a gas, hence a second
surgery is not needed
 The gas gets absorbed over 11/2
months
 During this period patient might
experience floaters prognosis