Retinal detachment

An acute or progressive condition in which the neuroretina separates from the retinal pigment epithelium with accumulation of subretinal fluid and loss of retinal function.

May be primary (rhegmatogenous retinal detachment), secondary to traction, or exudative in nature.

In rhegmatogenous retinal detachment, retinal discontinuity promotes retinal detachment.

Diagnosis is by indirect ophthalmoscopy or slit-lamp exam. In case of media opacity, B-scan ultrasonography is necessary.

Left untreated, rhegmatogenous retinal detachment typically results in blindness.

Surgical treatment is aimed at preventing fluid access to the subretinal space through the break and eliminating the traction causing the break.

If treated, prognosis is generally good. The most common cause of failure is scarring due to proliferative vitreoretinopathy.

Retinal detachment (RD) is typically a progressive condition in which the neuroretina separates (detaches) from the retinal pigment epithelium. Subretinal fluid accumulates, and the retina temporarily loses its function. In case of a rhegmatogenous RD, the separation is due to a retinal discontinuity (break, tear).[1]Robertson DM, Norton EW. Long-term follow-up of treated retinal breaks. Am J Ophthalmol. 1973;75:395-404. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/4697192?tool=bestpractice.com In the tractional form, RD is caused by proliferative membranes, whether present on the retinal surface or, less commonly, underneath it (subretinal strands). No retinal break is present, although it may subsequently develop (combined rhegmatogenous/tractional RD). Similarly, rhegmatogenous RD may develop a secondary tractional element. In the serous form, RD is caused by the subretinal accumulation of fluid, other than that originating in the vitreous cavity, caused by leaking retinal blood vessels or discontinuities in the retinal pigment epithelium. In the hemorrhagic form, RD is caused by the accumulation of subretinal blood, most commonly due to trauma. Retinoschisis is not an RD in the true sense of the word; here layers of the neuroretina split, and the fluid is between layers of the neuroretina. Full thickness retinal detachment can rarely complicate retinoschisis.