Detached Retina Retinal Detachment

A detached retina is when the thin layer at the back of your eye (retina) becomes loose. It needs to be treated quickly to stop it permanently affecting your sight.

Symptoms of a detached retina

Symptoms of a detached retina include:

floaters (dots and lines) or flashes of light in your eye
a dark "curtain" or shadow in your vision
changes to your eyesight, such as blurred vision

Get help from NHS 111 if:

floaters (dots and lines) suddenly appear in your vision or suddenly increase in number
you get flashes of light in your vision
you have a dark "curtain" or shadow moving across your vision
your vision gets suddenly blurred

You can call 111 or get help from 111 online.

Treatment for a detached retina

You'll be referred to hospital for surgery if tests show your retina may be detached or has started to come away (retinal tear).

Surgery will usually stop your vision getting worse.

Recovering from a detached retina

Recovery time after surgery for a detached retina varies. But as a general guide, for 2 to 6 weeks after surgery:

your vision may be blurry
your eye may be sore and red - take paracetamol if you need to
you may need to take time off work
you may not be able to drive
you may need to avoid flying (if you've had a bubble of gas put into your eye)

Most people are eventually able to return to all their normal activities.

Important

Call the hospital or go to A&E if the pain, redness or blurriness gets worse after surgery. You may need further treatment.

Causes of a detached retina

A detached retina is usually caused by changes to the jelly inside your eye, which can happen as you get older. This is called posterior vitreous detachment (PVD).

It's not clear exactly why PVD can lead to retinal detachment in some people and there's nothing you can do to prevent it. But it's more likely to happen if you:

are short-sighted
have had an eye operation (such as cataract surgery)
have had an eye injury
have a family history of retinal detachment

Find out more about posterior vitreous detachment from RNIB

If your symptoms come back

You can get a detached retina more than once. Get medical help as soon as possible if the symptoms come back.

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