In this Article

• What is the retina?
• What is a retinal detachment?
• What are the signs and symptoms of a retinal detachment?
• What are the risk factors for developing a retinal detachment?
• Which diseases of the eyes predispose to the development of a retinal detachment?
• How does cataract surgery lead to a retinal detachment?
• What other factors are associated with a retinal detachment?
• Why is it mandatory to treat retinal detachments?
• How are detached retinas repaired?
• What are the complications of surgery for a retinal detachment?
• What are the results of surgery for a retinal detachment?
• Patient Discussions: Retinal Detachment - Describe Your Experience
• Retinal Detachment Glossary
• Retinal Detachment Index

Which diseases of the eyes predispose to the development of a retinal detachment?

• Lattice degeneration of the retina is a type of thinning of the outside edges of the retina, which occurs in 6%-8% of the general population. The lattice degeneration, so-called because the thinned retina resembles the crisscross pattern of a lattice, often contains small holes. Lattice degeneration is more common in patients with nearsightedness (myopia). This tendency to lattice degeneration occurs because myopic eyes are larger than normal eyes and, therefore, the peripheral retina is stretched more thinly. Fortunately, only about 1% of patients with lattice degeneration go on to develop a retinal detachment.



• High myopia (greater than 5 or 6 diopters of nearsightedness) increases the risk of a retinal detachment. In fact, the risk increases to 2.4% as compared to a 0.06% risk for a normal eye at age 60. (Diopters are units of measurement that indicate the power of the lens to focus rays of light.) Cataract surgery or other operations of the eye can further increase this risk in patients with high myopia.



• Patients taking certain eye drops have an increased risk of developing a retinal detachment. Pilocarpine (Salagen), which for many years has been a mainstay of therapy for glaucoma, has long been associated with retinal detachment. Moreover, by constricting the pupil, pilocarpine makes the diagnostic exam of the peripheral retina more difficult, possibly leading to a delay in the diagnosis.



• Patients with chronic inflammation of the eye (uveitis) are at increased risk of developing retinal detachment.

Retinal Detachment - Describe Your Experience

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