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My experience with retinal detachment

One day I woke up to find that I can’t see well, my right eye has a vision problem, I feel like I can’t see through it, and I feel strange flashes of light that appear suddenly, besides, I see something like a fly flying in front of me My eyes whenever I move.

I didn’t know the reason behind this and thought I might have been exhausted in the work that led to this, especially since I’m over fifty years old, and I can’t stand the effort as I used to.

This condition continued all day, then I started to feel as if there was a curtain on the side of my eye, I started to worry, and I went to the eye doctor, and after the examination he told me that there had been a detachment of the retina.

The doctor warned me that neglecting this disease leads to a complete loss of vision, I seemed to panic, but the doctor assured me that my condition is at an early stage and that he only tells me the seriousness of this disease so that I do not neglect the treatment, and indeed the doctor started telling me all the details related to retinal detachment.

What is retinal detachment?

Through my experience with retinal detachment, I found that the retina consists of millions of sensitive cells that are responsible for receiving information sent by neurons, the “optic nerve” in the brain, to translate these signals into seeing things.

Retinal detachment also occurs when the retina (the inner lining of the eye) separates or moves away from the placenta (the wall of the eye). It causes double vision.

Symptoms of retinal detachment

During my experience with retinal detachment, I had symptoms that were evidence of a major eye problem, and the doctor told me about the rest of the symptoms, so that I could fully understand the nature of the disease:

• Sudden appearance of flashes from floating objects that obscure part of the vision.
• Flashes of light that appear in one or perhaps both eyes, this condition is called “photopsia”
• Gradual decrease in vision on both sides of the eye.
• Seeing something like a curtain in the side of the eye to block part of the vision.
• Seeing every black is like a fly that flies before the eye.
• Sometimes blurred vision.

Types of retinal detachment

Through my experience with retinal detachment, I got to know the disease and knew that it has 3 types:

• Self-retinal detachment: It is the result of holes or a gap in the retina; This allows fluid to pass under the retina and separate the retina from the placenta due to this tear.
• Exudative retinal detachment: It is the result of an inflammatory disorder that causes the accumulation of fluid behind the retina, and this type is most prevalent due to accidents or quarrels that have become widespread in our society recently, or unblemished pemphigus.
• tensile retinal detachment: It occurs as a result of the formation of fibrous tissues that work to stretch the retina; Which leads to the emergence of holes in the retina, and as the doctor told me, early diagnosis is very important to save eyesight, so as not to cause irreparable damage, God forbid.

People most at risk of retinal detachment

There are many reasons that lead to retinal detachment, all of which I knew during my experience with retinal detachment, and these reasons are:

• Aging has a major role in retinal detachment, especially for those over the age of fifty.
• If you have had a retinal detachment in one eye in the past, you are more likely to have it again.
• Having a family history of retinal detachment makes the incidence of the disease higher than normal individuals.
• Myopia is a cause of retinal detachment.
• Having previously had eye surgery, such as cataract surgery, makes you more likely to develop the disease.
• Exposure to eye infections or eye diseases is a cause of retinal detachment.
• Diabetes is one of the most common causes of retinal detachment.
• Eye disorders such as retinal detachment or thinning of the outer edges of the retina are risk factors for retinal detachment.

How is retinal detachment diagnosed?

In order for the doctor to be able to diagnose the disease, he must do some tests and use certain tools, and the diagnosis is made on the following bases:

• Eye examination to enable the doctor to know the extent of vision and the ability to distinguish colors.
• Examination of the retina The doctor uses a tool with a bright light to examine the lower part of the eye, including the retina, and this type of detection allows a detailed view of the entire eye, and thus the doctor can at this stage determine if there are holes, tears or detachment in the retina Eye.
• Ultrasound imaging In this case, the doctor can determine if there is any bleeding in the eye or not, and the doctor examines both eyes, even if the complaint is from one eye only.
• Examination of eye pressure so that the doctor can determine the blood flow to the eye in all its parts, especially in the retina.
• The doctor does a test to see the ability of the retina to send nerve signals to the optic nerve in the brain.

retinal detachment treatment

There are many ways in which retinal detachment can be treated, and they are:

• Laser (thermal) or freezing (to fix the retina by cold): This method is useful in early diagnosis of the condition and helps treat retinal tears.
• Invasive fixation of the retina: When the retinal tear is simple and small, and it is easy to close, a very small gas bubble is injected due to the vitreous body of the eye. The success of this method of treatment reaches about 85%.
• Scleral fascia (white of the eye): A silicone band is placed around the eye to hold the retina in place and this ligament remains in the eye, then laser or freezing is done to close the retinal tear completely, and the success rate of the operation reaches about 95% of cases.
• Vitrectomy: Doctors resort to this case when the tear in the retina is large. The doctor removes the vitreous in the eye and then replaces it with a gas bubble or using a silicone oil substance, and the success rate here is 95%.

Eye surgeries in retinal detachment depend on local anesthesia, and the operation lasts for an hour, and therefore it is an easy process, and one of the highest operations in its success rate despite the seriousness and sensitivity of the operation site.

Complications of retinal detachment surgery

During my experience with retinal detachment, the doctor warned me of some complications that rarely occur after retinal detachment surgery, and asked me to mention all of my medical history in full to avoid any complications that may occur from retinal detachment surgery, including the following:

• increased eye pressure
• Mechanical damage to the eye tissue is rare
• Cataracts in the eye being operated on
• Low vision, up to blindness, and these are very rare cases
• Bacterial infection inside the eye and this is a condition that occurs due to sterilization and affects one case out of 1000 cases
• Having vision and eye safety problems.
• Complications due to anesthesia, as it may cause suffocation in some rare cases or blockage in the trachea.
• Decreased blood pressure and heart rate.

Preparing for retinal detachment surgery

During my experience with retinal detachment, the doctor directly involved in my case performed a comprehensive eye examination to see if there were any other problems in the eye, and among the procedures he took are the following:

• Testing the strength of vision and intraocular pressure was one of the important procedures that the doctor performed before starting the operation.
• Examination of the retina and detachment of the eye, and the doctor also tested the ophthalmoscope.
• Complete blood tests and blood thinners are important before the retinal detachment procedure.
• For a patient who is over the age of forty, he must do an “ECG” (electrocardiogram).
• Doing chest x-rays for the following categories: smokers, high blood pressure patients, hypercholesterolemic patients, obese patients, lung disease patients, diabetes patients, or those over 60 years of age.
• Smokers should avoid smoking for three weeks before the procedure.
• Heart patients, nerve patients, and patients with pneumonia must be approved by the doctor to perform the operation for them.
• Patients who take blood clotting medications must stop them before the operation, and find out the alternatives to these medications from the doctor who follows the case.
• On the day of the operation, it is recommended that the patient eat a light meal with the medications that the doctor orders before the operation. In addition to a, the patient immediately before the operation takes the eye drops to dilate the eye.

Post-retinal detachment procedures

During my experience with retinal detachment, the anesthesiologist woke me up from the operation by stopping the anesthesia and calling me until I woke up easily, then I was referred to the hospitalization department for 3 days to ensure a safe recovery, to ensure that there was no infection and to follow up the case in the first three days after the operation .

Initially, I had pain in the eye area where the surgery was performed, and the doctor gave me painkillers to relieve this pain, and the eye area became red and swollen, and these symptoms disappeared after a few days of the operation.

Postoperative advice for retinal detachment

In the first week or two after the operation during my experience with retinal detachment, the doctor told me several instructions that I had to adhere to, and these instructions were:

• Water contact with the treated eye should be avoided.
• In the case of secretions from the eyes, it is cleaned with a cotton cloth soaked in boiling water after letting it cool completely to ensure sterilization of the water.
• The need to clean the eye is done from the inside out and not the other way around, to prevent the transmission of infection to the eye and prevent eye inflammation.
• In the case of gas bubble surgery, a certain position of the head must be maintained that the doctor explains to the patient, in order to maintain the gas bubble in the place of the retina for a month after the operation, and physical exertion should be avoided.
• The necessity of going to the doctor a week after the operation, the doctor called me to do a review on the retinal operation by the surgeon.
• Completely abstain from alcoholic beverages.
• Refrain from soft drinks that inhibit the effectiveness of the operation in the eye.
• Stay away from ready-made or fast foods because they do not contain the important vitamins and minerals needed for the eye at this point.
• Avoid smoking and the sun’s rays that affect the result of the operation.
• Periodic follow-up after the operation for 6 months.
• In the event of blurring of vision, the patient should refer to the doctor immediately.

Complications after retinal detachment surgery

During my experience with retinal detachment, the direct doctor of my case told me that there are some habits and wrong actions that retinal detachment patients do after surgery; Which leads to complications that affect the condition, and these complications are:

• The expansion of the gas bubble inside the eye, for example, due to travel by plane or exposure to factors of high atmospheric pressure, which leads to an increase in pressure inside the eye.
• The gas bubble may occur and move to the front of the eye, and therefore the gas bubble will press on the lens of the eye and not the retina, and this happens when the patient lies on his back to rest.
• Flashes of light may appear in front of the patient again.
• Redness and swelling around the eye.
• Eye discharge or sores in the eyes.
• Change in eyesight or blurred vision.
• The appearance of blue water in the patient’s eye.
• scotoma in the lens of the eye;

In the event of any of the above-mentioned symptoms, the patient must immediately go to the doctor; So that the patient does not take any action on his own, the result of which is that he loses his eye, God forbid.

Signs of successful retinal detachment surgery

I learned through my experience with retinal detachment that there are signs as soon as I notice them, I know that the process of retinal detachment has succeeded, and among these signs are the following:

• Significant improvement in vision within two months of the operation.
• Continuous follow-up with the doctor and conduct various tests to check on the progress of the operation.
• In some cases, vision may not return completely and return only partially, due to the patient’s neglect of the symptoms he notices or the lack of regular follow-up to the doctor.
• Late cases of retinal detachment do not have full vision.
• In some late cases, the doctor may not be able to save their condition and blindness occurs in the affected eye after surgery.

Retinal detachment for the second time

The doctor following my case during my experience with retinal detachment warned me of the danger of retinal detachment for the second time, and I attributed the reason behind this to the fact that those who are exposed to retinal detachment the first time are more likely to detach the retina a second time, hence the periodic examination by the doctor is the main reason to prevent the recurrence of the matter.

With this, I have presented to you my experience with retinal detachment and the importance of early detection, what are its types, treatment method and post-operative complications, and I hope that I have provided you with the desired benefit.

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