Creating a comfortable environment for people with low vision.Peripheral retinal degenerations and rhegmatogenous retinal detachment.

Previous other eye disease or disorder, including retinoschisis, uveitis or thinning of the peripheral retina (lattice degeneration).

Previous eye surgery, such as cataract removal.Aging - retinal detachment is more common in people over age 50.The following factors increase your risk of retinal detachment: Exudative detachment can be caused by age-related macular degeneration, injury to the eye, tumors or inflammatory disorders. In this type of detachment, fluid accumulates beneath the retina, but there are no holes or tears in the retina. Tractional detachment is typically seen in people who have poorly controlled diabetes or other conditions. This type of detachment can occur when scar tissue grows on the retina's surface, causing the retina to pull away from the back of the eye. Left untreated, the liquid vitreous can pass through the tear into the space behind the retina, causing the retina to become detached. One complication of this separation is a tear.Īs the vitreous separates or peels off the retina, it may tug on the retina with enough force to create a retinal tear. Normally, the vitreous separates from the surface of the retina without any complications - a common condition called posterior vitreous detachment (PVD). As you age, the gel-like material that fills the inside of your eye, known as the vitreous (VIT-ree-us), may change in consistency and shrink or become more liquid.

The most common cause of rhegmatogenous detachment is aging. The areas where the retina detaches lose their blood supply and stop working, causing you to lose vision. This fluid builds up and causes the retina to pull away from underlying tissues. Rhegmatogenous detachments are caused by a hole or tear in the retina that allows fluid to pass through and collect underneath the retina. These types of retinal detachments are the most common. There are three different types of retinal detachment: Most eye floaters don't require treatment, but your eye doctor likely will recommend regular eye exams to ensure the condition doesn't worsen.įor the Mayo Clinic Newsnetwork, I'm Jason Howland. Howland: And that can cause blindness, which is why it's especially important to have a dilated eye exam within days of noticing new floaters or changes in vision. Khan: If a tear develops in the retina, fluid can get in underneath that tear and just lift the retina off like wallpaper off a wall and that's a retinal detachment. The biggest concern – they can cause retinal tears.ĭr. Howland: Eye floaters are more common as you get older and if you're nearsighted. Those smaller pieces are what you may notice as floater. As we age, this firm clump of jelly can liquefy and break up into smaller pieces. Jason Howland: Having vision problems? Do you see black or gray specks, strings or cobwebs that drift about when you move your eyes? It could be eye floaters.Īmir Khan, M.D., Consultant, Ophthalmology, Mayo Clinic: In the back of our eyes, we have a substance called 'the vitreous.' When we're young, it's a firm clump of jelly.

Detached retina photo