There are three different detached retina types:
- Rhegmatogenous
- Tractional
- Exudative.
A rhegmatogenous retinal detachment is the most common type.
Detached Retina: Causes and Risk Factors
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.
Detached retina risk factors can include:
- Older age -- a retinal detachment can occur at any age, but it is more common in people over age 40
- Male gender
- Caucasian ethnicity
- Sickle cell anemia
- Severe high blood pressure
- Diabetes
- Certain eye conditions.
Eye conditions that put someone at risk for a detached retina include:
- Nearsightedness
- Retinal detachment in the other eye
- Retinoschisis
- Uveitis
- Lattice degeneration
- Cataract surgery
- Family history of retinal detachment
- Degenerative myopia
- Eye injury.
Symptoms of a Detached Retina
Common symptoms of a detached retina include:
- Floaters, which are little "cobwebs" or specks that float about in your field of vision
- Light flashes in the eye
- Curtain over the field of vision
- Blurred vision
- Partial or complete central or peripheral vision loss.
Pain is not a symptom of a detached retina.
These possible symptoms are not always a sign of a detached retina. However, a detached retina is a medical emergency. Anyone experiencing possible symptoms of a detached retina should see an eye care professional immediately.
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