

They will then confirm the diagnosis and may refer you on to their preferred retinal surgeon colleague for further treatment, if they are not trained in retinal surgery. In summary, if you do have symptoms of retinal detachment, you need to have an urgent retinal examination with a qualified eye doctor. This happens to the best of surgeons and there is no retinal surgeon that can claim a 100% success rate in repairing retinal detachments with one operation. Success rates of retinal detachment surgery with the one operation are about 90% but in 10% of cases, the retinal detachment may still come back and further surgery is needed. If the first operation fails and the retinal detachment recurs, it is harder to repair the eye and save the eyesight with further surgery. For surgery for retinal detachment, I have to decide whether to perform a scleral buckle or vitrectomy operation and whether to put in gas or silicone oil into the eye. This is because the first attempt to repair the retinal detachment is the best chance to fix it. If you do have a retinal detachment, it is important that you have a well trained retinal surgeon to fix your eye problem. Who should perform retinal detachment surgery? Many studies have been done to look at the best time for such retinal detachments and have shown that outcomes after “macula off” retinal detachment surgery when done within 1 week of loss of vision are very good. Surgery can be done within the next few days at a time convenient for both the doctor and the patient. This is because, every minute counts in this type of retinal detachment and early treatment will allow the patient to regain almost all their vision.įor “macula-off” retinal detachment, the situation is not as urgent even though the patient has lost most of their eyesight. This may mean surgery after working hours or on weekends. If I see a patient with a retinal detachment that has not yet affected the macula, I would try to perform surgery as soon as possible. The patient can still see well in the centre but their peripheral vision is poor. This is because when the macula is still “on” or not detached, the more urgent the need for surgery is. Eye doctors use terms called “macula- on ” or “macula – off” when describing retinal detachments.


Retinal detachment is one of the few eye emergencies and once it is diagnosed, surgery needs to be done as soon as possible to save the eye sight. How soon should retinal detachment surgery be done?

When this happens, you will lose all your eyesight. As the retinal detachment gets worse, it will reach the macula which is the centre of the retina and is the most important part of the retina. Initially, you will notice blurring of vision in the corner of your vision as the retinal detachment usually starts in the corner of your eye. Symptoms of retinal detachment include floaters, flashing lights, shadows in the corner of your vision, and loss of vision. People who are short-sighted (myopic) are at higher risk of retinal detachment. The retina, which is the thin nerve layer at the back of your eye, separates from the rest of the eye due to a hole in the retinal layer. Retinal detachment is a sudden and unexpected condition that can happen to anyone.
