Retinal Detachment

Owen Paterson the Environment Secretary has undergone urgent retinal detachment surgery.

What is a retinal detachment?

• Retinal detachment occurs when the retina separates from the back of the inside of the eye.
• If a retinal detachment is not detected and treated quickly it may result in the loss of some or all the vision in your eye.
• Most retinal detachments happen because a tear or hole in the retina allows fluid to leak between the retinal layers and this then causes the retina to detach.
• Holes in the retina can occur because of changes that happen as you age.
• Tears happen because the retina has been pulled and torn. 
• Tears mostly occur when the vitreous gel suddenly becomes detached from the retina (known as acute posterior vitreous detachment or PVD). 
• Most gradual PVD does not result in retinal detachment.
• A direct blow to the eye may cause a retinal detachment.
• Other eye conditions such as diabetic retinopathy can result in fibrous scar tissue forming inside the vitreous and on the surface of the retina. This scar tissue can then pull on the retina (traction) causing a detachment. This type of traction on the retina can also pull the retina away from the back of the eye.

Retinal detachment is rare. It only occurs in about 1 in 10,000 people each year. 

Retinal detachment can happen to someone of any age but is very rare under the age of 16 and most commonly happens to people aged between 60 and 70 years.
This is because changes to the vitreous gel are very common in older people.
For the vast majority of people these changes do not result in any serious complications. 

Another group - of younger people who are short sighted - are also at risk because their vitreous gel, which is not as firm as it should be, detaches from the back of the eye earlier. 



Those at increased risk
You have an increased risk of retinal detachment if you: 

• are very short sighted (more than minus 6.00 D)
• have had trauma (injury or blow) directly to the eye
• have already had a detachment in one eye, then there is an increased likelihood of a detachment in the other eye. Between 2 and 10 per cent of detachments occur in both eyes
• have a family history of retinal detachment.

Symptoms

• you experience a recent onset of floaters or change to the nature or numbers of your floaters
• you suddenly experience new flashing lights
• you experience a dark shadow moving up, down or across your vision
• your vision suddenly becomes blurred, especially if any of the other symptoms of flashing lights, floaters or a shadow are present

What can you do?

In Bristol
If you have the symptoms that may suggest a retinal detachment you can attend Bristol Eye Hospital A&E under the NHS or a local opticians practice privately for an emergency appointment.
At Lynne Fernandes Optometrists we charge £45 for a private emergency appointment.


Elsewhere in neighbouring areas.

In some areas of Somerset the NHS has set up optician based emergency appointments funded by the NHS
In Wales the NHS pays for emergency appointments at opticians.
Yes there are postcode differences to NHS eye care provision.



What can we do?
Lynne Fernandes has been working on behalf of the Local Optical Committee with national support to persuade the local NHS to set up an optician based emergency appointment scheme.

Our private emergency fee has deliberately been set at the same level that the NHS fund opticians in Somerset to carry out these types of appointments.



Thank you for taking the time to read this weeks blog from all at Lynne Fernandes Optometrists.

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