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Retinal
Detachment |
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Causes |
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What causes retinal detachment?
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The important cause is the presence of
holes or tears in the retina.
These holes/tears can
occur in an otherwise healthy
looking retina or in relation to pre-existing
weak areas such as lattice
degeneration etc. These holes can lead to
retinal detachment after variable period of time in
some patients (not in all). |
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What are the risk factors for development of retinal
detachment?
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Presence of very high degrees of
myopia (minus power),
occurrence of retinal detachment
in fellow eye, occurrence of retinal
detachment in blood relatives,
cataract surgery in
the eye concerned etc. are some of the factors that increase
the risk of occurrence of retinal detachment in an eye with
the holes/tears/weak areas. |
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Can occurrence of retinal detachment be prevented? |
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The retinal holes, tears, weak
areas can be sealed by
photocoagulation or cyrotherapy
and thus prevent them from leading to retinal detachment. |
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Who is at risk for retinal detachment? |
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A retinal
detachment can occur at any age, but it is more common in
people over age 40. A retinal
detachment is also more likely to occur in people who:
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Are extremely nearsighted
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Have had a retinal detachment in the other eye
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Have a family history of retinal detachment
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Have had cataract surgery
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Have other eye diseases or disorders, such as
retinoschisis, uveitis, degenerative myopia, or lattice
degeneration
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Have had an eye injury
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