Early treatment can help prevent permanent vision loss.

A dilated eye exam can help your eye doctor find small retinal tears or signs of retinal detachment early, before it starts to affect your vision. It’s also important to get comprehensive dilated eye exams regularly. If you do notice any symptoms, getting these checked and, if necessary, treated quickly can reduce the risk of developing a retinal detachment. Of course, eye trauma should be avoided, however, there are no guidelines to prevent a tear developing in the retina. However, in people who have a more “sticky” vitreous, as the vitreous separates from the retina, it pulls abnormally and causes the retina to tear.Īlthough retinal tears may also occur as a result of eye trauma, most retinal tears occur spontaneously. The vitreous separates from the surface of the retina, usually without any complications. However, a retinal tear may not manifest any noticeable symptoms.Ī timely and thorough examination should be carried out by an ophthalmologis t using scleral depression (applying slight pressure to the eye) and/ or 3-mirror lens is the most important step in order to be able to diagnose a retinal tear.Īs you age, the gel-like material that fills the inside of your eye, known as the vitreous, may change in consistency and shrink or become more liquid. If there is associated vitreous haemorrhage (bleeding in the clear cavity of the eye) or retinal detachment, additional symptoms can include shadows and blurred vision as though they’re closing in from the peripheral (side) vision. If retinal tears are left untreated, then there is a very high risk of the patient developing retinal detachment which ultimately means loss of eyesight. If a retinal tear is detected early, before it progresses to retinal detachment, the prognosis is very good. This creates a risk of retinal detachment and severe loss of vision. Edited by: Jay Staniland What is a retinal tear?Ī retinal tear is when the thin layer at the back of your eye ( retina) is torn.

Partially torn retina