Causes of a Detached Retina

There are several detached retina risk factors, such as nearsightedness, diabetes, and a family history of retinal detachment. While these things alone are not causes of a detached retina, they can increase your chances of developing a detached retina.

 

Causes of a Detached Retina: An Overview

In most cases, doctors are not sure why a person develops a detached retina, but they do know that certain factors increase the chances of a person developing a detached retina. These factors are known as detached retina risk factors.
 

Causes of a Detached Retina: Know the Risk Factors

Detached retina risk factors can include:
 
  • Older age -- a retinal detachment can occur at any age, but it is more common in people over the age of 40
  • Male gender
  • Caucasian ethnicity
  • Diabetes
  • Sickle cell anemia.
  • Severe high blood pressure.
  • Certain eye conditions.
     
The eye conditions that put someone at risk for a detached retina include:
 
  • Nearsightedness
  • Retinal detachment in the other eye
  • Family history of retinal detachment
  • Cataract surgery
  • Retinoschisis
  • Uveitis
  • Degenerative myopia
  • Lattice degeneration
  • Eye injury.
     

Summary of the Causes of a Detached Retina

Most people with detached retina risk factors will not develop a detached retina. And it is possible that people without detached retina risk factors will develop a retinal detachment. If you are worried about retinal detachments, talk with your doctor. He or she can recommend detached retina symptoms to watch for and a schedule for regular eye exams.
 
Written by/reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Other Articles in This eMedTV Presentation