About Eye Diseases 
Floaters & Retinal Detachment
What Are Floaters?
The jelly-like substance filling the space between the crystalline lens and the retina is called vitreous humour. The vitreous humour degenerates and liquefies (synchysis) as we get older, when we start to see some floating opacities known as “floaters”. Floaters can be of various sizes or shapes - dots, circles, lines or spider webs. Physiological floaters are usually few in number, occur when looking at bright homogenous backgrounds such as a white wall or the blue sky, and remain unchanged over time. These are normal physiological changes of the vitreous humour.
Flashes, Acute Posterior Vitreous Detachment and Retinal Detachment
Pathological floaters appear suddenly and may occur in great numbers. They may suggest bleeding within the vitreous humour, inflammation of the uvea, or separation of the posterior vitreous humour from the retina due to syneresis (dehydrating and shrinking), called acute posterior vitreous detachment (PVD). Flashes are caused by the vitreous humour pulling on the retina. Both floaters and flashes are symptoms of retinal tear, if accompanied with visual field defects, it may mostly indicate retinal detachment. Therefore, whenever there is a sudden onset of floaters or flashes, urgent dilated eye examination by an Ophthalmologist is essential to distinguish the causes of these conditions. If not treated promptly, retinal tear may evolve into retinal detachment.
What Are the Symptoms of Retinal Detachment?
Who Are at Risk of Retinal Detachment?
Treatment for Retinal Detachment
Retinal degenerations or tears can be repaired with laser while retinal detachment is treated with surgery. There are two main types of retinal detachment surgery, namely scleral buckle, which is performed around and outside the eyeball, and vitrectomy with gas or silicone oil injection, which is performed inside the eyeball. Both of the surgeries include laser treatment or cryotherapy.
Regular Eye Examinations Can Preserve Vision
Please schedule regular eye examinations with your ophthalmologist
The jelly-like substance filling the space between the crystalline lens and the retina is called vitreous humour. The vitreous humour degenerates and liquefies (synchysis) as we get older, when we start to see some floating opacities known as “floaters”. Floaters can be of various sizes or shapes - dots, circles, lines or spider webs. Physiological floaters are usually few in number, occur when looking at bright homogenous backgrounds such as a white wall or the blue sky, and remain unchanged over time. These are normal physiological changes of the vitreous humour.
Flashes, Acute Posterior Vitreous Detachment and Retinal Detachment
Pathological floaters appear suddenly and may occur in great numbers. They may suggest bleeding within the vitreous humour, inflammation of the uvea, or separation of the posterior vitreous humour from the retina due to syneresis (dehydrating and shrinking), called acute posterior vitreous detachment (PVD). Flashes are caused by the vitreous humour pulling on the retina. Both floaters and flashes are symptoms of retinal tear, if accompanied with visual field defects, it may mostly indicate retinal detachment. Therefore, whenever there is a sudden onset of floaters or flashes, urgent dilated eye examination by an Ophthalmologist is essential to distinguish the causes of these conditions. If not treated promptly, retinal tear may evolve into retinal detachment.
What Are the Symptoms of Retinal Detachment?
- Increased floaters
- Increased flashes
- Visual field loss
- Visual distortion or disturbance
Who Are at Risk of Retinal Detachment?
- Middle-aged persons with PVD which causes retinal tear
- Eyes with retinal lattice degenerations, atrophic holes or horse-shoe tears
- High myopes (higher than –6.0 Dioptres)
- Ocular or orbital trauma (including eye surgery)
- Certain inherited diseases (e.g. Marfan’s Syndrome, Stickler’s Disease)
- Family history of retinal detachment
- Diabetic retinopathy
- Retinopathy of prematurity, etc
Treatment for Retinal Detachment
Retinal degenerations or tears can be repaired with laser while retinal detachment is treated with surgery. There are two main types of retinal detachment surgery, namely scleral buckle, which is performed around and outside the eyeball, and vitrectomy with gas or silicone oil injection, which is performed inside the eyeball. Both of the surgeries include laser treatment or cryotherapy.
Regular Eye Examinations Can Preserve Vision
Please schedule regular eye examinations with your ophthalmologist
