Retinal Detachment

The retina is a thin piece of nerve tissue that lines the inside wall of the back of the eye. Think of it as the film in a camera. Even if everything at the front of the eye is working correctly, the retina must be functioning for a good image to be sent to your brain. Normally the retina is tightly adherent to the wall. Sometimes, small breaks or tears can occur in thin parts of the retina through normal aging and the separation of the vitreous gel away from the retina. When these occur, fluid can enter the breaks and cause the retina to peel off from the back wall of the eye. In areas that are detached the retina cannot see so patients experience a curtain-like sensation in the regions of their retina that are already detached. This is considered an emergency and will usually require a surgery to fix. After the surgery, you may have a gas bubble on the inside of the eye and have to maintain face-down positioning while you recover. You also won’t be allowed to go on a plane or any other elevation changes until the gas bubble is completely gone.