Retinal Detachment or just Flashes of Light in the Eye

Lisa was finishing her last day of work before her long-awaited vacation. She'd been looking forward to this cruise with her husband for some time now and really cherished the thought of the rest and relaxation ahead of her. Then it happened. Suddenly she saw flashes of light in her left eye and the appearance of a lot more floaters than usual. She knew the signs. She'd had it before in her right eye. It was the beginning of retinal detachment, and she also knew time was of an essence in getting to her ophthalmologist for speedy treatment. He took her right in and treated her eye as it was retinal detachment as she had feared. He sent her home to rest, but she went on the cruise anyway. I chuckled when I heard that. Said she could rest better on the cruise than at home. After all, at home there was always too much to do to rest.

What is the Retina and Where is it Located?

The retina is a delicate light-sensitive membrane in the back of the eye that sends messages to the brain by way of the optic nerve. Underneath it is the choroid, a layer of blood vessels that provides nutrients and oxygen to the retina. Detachment happens when the retina pulls away from the choroid.

Warning Signs In the Eye

• Flashes of light in the eye with no pain.
• Sudden increase of floaters.
• Curtain-like appearance closing over vision.
• Suddenly blurry vision.

If you have any of these warning signs, check with an ophthalmologist as soon as possible to see if it is the beginning of retinal detachment. If so, quick treatment could save your eyesight. If it's not, you will have peace of mind just knowing and will likely be encouraged to get checked annually as you age when retinal detachment becomes more prevalent.

Some Causes of Retinal Detachment

1. Extreme nearsightedness.
2. Occurrence after some eye surgeries.
3. May occur with diseases like diabetes (diabetic retinopathy) or sickle cell anemia.
4. With facial or eye injury.

If the above symptoms are due to retinal detachment, reattachment of the retina by an eye surgeon is necessary and the sooner the better. Waiting to see what will happen and hoping it will go away on its own is very dangerous thinking and may result in permanent loss of vision. So getting it checked out and getting treatment is crucial.

Treatment

There are currently several possible treatments:

1. Reattaching the retina with laser photocoagulation which is a method of sealing off leaky blood vessels using a laser.
2. Injecting silicone oil into the eye to keep the retina in place.
3. Pneumatic retinopexy similarly injects a bubble of gas into the eyeball that presses against the retina to keep it in place.
4. Cryotherapy (or freezing) will permanently reattach the retina.

While researching this topic after hearing Lisa's story, my cousin wrote that she was having some of these symptoms and got an appointment with an ophthalmologist to see what the diagnosis would be. It turned out that hers was not retinal detachment, but she'll be checked yearly to see if there are any changes. She was so relieved!

So my advice to everyone is to get checked immediately if you get any of these warning signs. Better safe than sorry.