Silicone oil is used for recurrent retinal detachments or complicated retinal detachments including PVR (proliferative vitreoretinopathy). It can be a valuable tool to prevent blindness. Most retinal detachments are caused by a retinal tear, or hole, in the retina. In either case, this allows for communication between the vitreous cavity and the potential space underneath the retina. … [Read more...]
Retinal Tears and Vitreous Hemorrhage
December 14, 2011 By 8 Comments
A vitreous hemorrhage may be caused by a retinal tear. Sometimes there is so much blood in the eye that direct examination is impossible and we can only guess at the most likely cause. It is the most difficult situation for me to handle as a doctor. Patients lose significant vision as the blood in the middle of the eye physically blocks all light from hitting the retina. While this is … [Read more...]
Double Vision After Retinal Detachment Surgery
January 21, 2011 By 105 Comments
Decreased vision and double vision (aka diplopia) after retinal detachment surgery may occur, yet is not common. The perception of "double" is more common than actually seeing two of everything. There are several causes for really seeing two images following retinal detachment surgery. Scleral Buckle May Cause Diplopia A common method to fix a retinal detachment involves the use of a … [Read more...]
3 Causes of Flashes of Light
December 21, 2010 By 5 Comments
There are several causes of flashes. The most common cause is a posterior vitreous detachment (PVD), but a retinal tear, migraine and inflammation can also cause the same visual symptoms. In other articles, a PVD and retinal tear have been well covered. Flashes Due to Migraine Without getting too specific, there are visual migraines that yield a scintillating light pattern, often confused … [Read more...]
Persistent Flashes After Posterior Vitreous Detachment (PVD)
December 15, 2010 By 17 Comments
It is not uncommon for the symptoms of flashes to persist after a posterior vitreous detachment, or PVD. Flashes and floaters, common symptoms of a PVD, may also be warning signs of a possible retinal tear. Retinal tears can cause a retinal detachment. Do persistent flashes mean increased risk for a tear or retinal detachment? Ways to Stimulate the Retina There are two ways to stimulate … [Read more...]
Decreased Vision Following Retinal Detachment
October 7, 2010 By 106 Comments
There are many reasons why your sight may be poor following retinal detachment surgery. Obviously, it is possible that the disease actually led to loss of vision as retinal detachments can lead to blindness. There are, however, other less serious reasons for loss of vision following retinal detachment surgery. Scleral Buckle for Retinal Detachment Repair A scleral buckle is common method … [Read more...]
Sometimes the Disease Wins
September 20, 2010 By 2 Comments
I have a patient, already blind in his right eye, who just suffered his third retinal detachment in the last 2 months in his remaining, left eye. I am operating, again, to try and prevent his going totally blind. I trained with a world famous and world class mentor, Steve Charles, M.D. of Memphis, TN. My fellowship lasted a year, where I learned my specialty, and some lessons, that will … [Read more...]
Retinal Detachments Can Blind
July 19, 2010 By 1 Comment
The natural history of a retinal detachment is blindness. "Natural history" of a disease is the same as the usual outcome. So, the usual outcome of a retinal detachment is complete blindness if eye surgery is not performed. Retinal Detachments Only Become Larger Retinal tears and holes cause a retinal detachment. A small amount of fluid goes through the tear and gets underneath the retina … [Read more...]
Does Sleep Cause Retinal Detachments?
July 7, 2010 By 1 Comment
I believe that REM sleep causes retinal tears and then subsequent retinal detachments, that is, I think most of the damage occurs while you are sleeping. While this would be hard to ever prove, there are some compelling arguments for my hypothesis. What is REM sleep? Rapid Eye Movement (REM) is a stage of sleep that occurs every night. During this stage of sleep, the eyes beat back and … [Read more...]
Sudden Vision Loss is Painless
June 8, 2010 By 8 Comments
True sudden vision loss can occur from a variety of reasons and are considered emergencies. Most commonly retinal disease is the culprit. Almost all causes of are painless. While both macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy can lead to blindness, they both usually do so slowly. There are exceptions. Vision Loss from Diabetes Vision lost from diabetic retinopathy is usually due to … [Read more...]
