Retinal Detachment

There are several different surgery options for retinal detachment, depending on the severity, cause, and location.

What Is Retinal Detachment?

Retinal detachment occurs when the retina separates from its normal position at the back of the eye. The retina is a thin, light-sensitive layer of tissue that converts incoming light into signals your brain interprets as vision. It contains specialized cells called photoreceptors, which enable you to see details, colors, and movement, including in low-light conditions.

When the retina detaches, it loses access to oxygen and nutrients supplied by the underlying tissue. As a result, the retina cannot transmit visual signals effectively. The longer a detached retina remains untreated, the greater the risk of lasting vision damage.

Retinal detachment is a medical emergency. Early diagnosis and treatment significantly improve the chance of preserving vision.

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A woman experiencing retinal detachment symptoms.

Common Symptoms of Retinal Detachment

A detached retina does not usually cause pain, but it often produces sudden and noticeable visual changes. Symptoms may appear quickly or progress over hours or days. Seek immediate eye care if you experience any of the following:

  • A gray curtain or dark shadow moving across part of your vision
  • A sudden increase in floaters, which may look like dots, strands, or cobwebs
  • Flashes of light, especially in side (peripheral) vision
  • Blurred or distorted vision
  • A shadow or loss of peripheral vision

What Causes a Detached Retina?

Several conditions and risk factors can lead to retinal detachment. Aging plays a role, but eye disease, trauma, and systemic health conditions also increase risk.

Common risk factors include:

Understanding the underlying cause helps our retina specialists determine the most effective treatment approach.

Retinal detachment rendering

Types of Retinal Detachment

Doctors classify retinal detachment into three main types based on the cause.

Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment is the most common type. It usually occurs when aging causes the vitreous gel inside the eye to shrink and pull away from the retina. This traction can create a tear or hole in the retina. Once a tear forms, fluid passes through the opening and collects behind the retina, lifting it away from the back of the eye. This type of detached retina often develops suddenly and requires urgent surgical repair.

Tractional retinal detachment develops when scar tissue forms on the surface of the retina and pulls it out of position. This scarring commonly results from diabetic retinopathy, where abnormal blood vessels and fibrous tissue grow on the retina.

As the scar tissue contracts, it lifts the retina away from the back of the eye. Tractional detachments often progress more slowly but can still cause severe vision loss if left untreated.

Exudative retinal detachment occurs when fluid accumulates beneath the retina without a tear or break. This fluid buildup causes the retina to move out of position.

Conditions that can cause exudative detachment include:

  • Age-related macular degeneration
  • Inflammatory eye diseases
  • Eye tumors
  • Trauma or injury
  • Blood vessel leakage

Treatment Options for Retinal Detachment

Retina specialists choose treatment based on the type, severity, and location of the detachment, as well as overall eye health. Some procedures repair small retinal tears before full detachment occurs, while others require surgery to reattach the retina.

Cryopexy (Freeze Treatment)

Cryopexy treats small retinal tears before they progress to a complete detachment. This procedure often takes place in the office.

Your doctor numbs the eye and applies a freezing probe to the outside of the eye over the tear. The cold creates controlled scar tissue that seals the tear and anchors the retina in place.

Cryopexy is most effective for small, well-defined tears that are detected early.

Laser Surgery (Photocoagulation)

Laser photocoagulation also treats small retinal tears and holes. After numbing the eye, the doctor directs a medical laser inside the eye.

The laser creates tiny burns around the tear, forming scar tissue that seals the retina to the underlying tissue. This procedure helps prevent fluid from entering behind the retina and causing a detachment.

Laser treatment is a quick and effective procedure commonly performed in an outpatient setting.

Pneumatic Retinopexy

Pneumatic retinopexy utilizes a gas bubble to reposition the retina gently. After numbing the eye, the doctor injects a small bubble of air or gas into the vitreous cavity.

The bubble floats upward and gently pushes the detached retina against the back of the eye. The doctor then seals retinal tears with laser treatment or cryopexy.

After surgery, patients must maintain specific head positioning for several days to keep the bubble correctly aligned. The bubble naturally absorbs over time.

Scleral Buckle Surgery

Scleral buckle surgery is used to treat more extensive retinal detachments. During this procedure, the surgeon places a flexible silicone band around the outside of the eye.

The band gently presses the wall of the eye inward, reducing traction and allowing the retina to reattach. The buckle remains permanently in place but stays hidden beneath the eye’s surface.

Surgeons often perform scleral buckle surgery under anesthesia, and many patients achieve successful long-term outcomes.

Vitrectomy

Vitrectomy treats complex or severe retinal detachments. The surgeon removes the vitreous gel that pulls on the retina and replaces it with air, gas, or silicone oil.

This internal bubble supports the retina while it heals. The eye gradually replaces the vitreous with natural fluid, or the surgeon later removes the oil if used.

Patients must maintain their head position during recovery and avoid flying or traveling to high altitudes until the bubble resolves.

What to Expect After Retinal Detachment Surgery

Recovery depends on the type of procedure performed and the extent of the detachment. Your retina specialist will provide personalized recovery instructions.

Most patients experience:

  • Mild to moderate discomfort, managed with medication

  • Temporary blurry vision as the eye heals

  • An eye patch for protection during early recovery

  • Temporary floaters or flashes as healing progresses

  • Activity restrictions for several weeks

Vision improvement may occur gradually over weeks or months. In some cases, vision may not fully return to pre-detachment levels, especially if treatment was delayed.

Risks of Retinal Detachment Surgery

All surgical procedures carry some risk. Potential risks of retina surgery include:

  • Bleeding inside the eye

  • Infection

  • Increased eye pressure (glaucoma)

  • Cataract development

  • Redetachment of the retina

Despite these risks, untreated retinal detachment almost always leads to permanent vision loss. Early intervention offers the best chance for preserving sight.

FAQ: Retinal Detachment Treatments

Any sudden shower of floaters, repeated flashes of light, or a curtain or shadow moving across your vision should be treated as an emergency. Call Vantage Eye Center immediately so a retina specialist can examine you the same day.

Most procedures use numbing drops and light sedation, so you should feel pressure rather than pain. Mild soreness or scratchiness afterward is common and usually managed with over-the-counter medication and eye drops

Many people regain good functional vision, especially when the detachment is treated quickly, and the macula is not involved for long. If the central retina is detached for a longer time, some degree of permanent vision change is possible.

Your surgeon will give very specific positioning instructions that may last from several days to a couple of weeks, depending on the size and location of your detachment and the type of gas used

Yes, a small percentage of patients can have another detachment, either in the same eye or in the other eye. Regular follow-up with your retina specialist helps catch new changes early so they can be treated quickly.

You cannot prevent every detachment, but protecting your eyes from trauma, managing conditions such as diabetes, and seeking prompt care for new floaters, flashes, or vision changes can lower your risk of severe vision loss.

Retina Care and Surgery Center in California

Our retina specialists provide comprehensive retinal care, including diagnosis and treatment for retinal detachment, across Southern California. We offer convenient access to retina exams, consultations, and advanced surgical care at dedicated surgery centers.

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