Why Sudden Floaters or Flashes Signal a Serious Eye Problem
Seeing a speck in your vision is probably nothing, but if you suddenly see a burst of floaters and/or flashes, you may be looking at a medical emergency. Keep reading to learn why.
Treatment Options for Retinal Detachment
A retinal detachment is a rare, but severe, eye condition that can cause blindness. Suppose you have any signs of retinal detachment, such as a sudden increase in floaters or flashers, or a shadow across either the sides or middle of your vision. In that case, you need immediate attention from an expert ophthalmologist.
Here at Retina Specialists, our ophthalmologists provide thorough exams to confirm retinal detachments and tears, and they offer expert treatments to repair your eyes. Let’s explore your treatment options.
Laser surgery
During laser treatment for a retinal detachment, we numb your eye with drops and use a laser to create tiny burns around the edges of a retinal tear. Scar tissue forms, which creates a barrier and attaches the retina to the back wall of your eye.
Cryopexy
Cryopexy is similar to laser treatment. We use numbing eye drops, but instead of using heat to stimulate scar tissue, cryopexy uses extremely cold temperatures to reattach your retina.
Pneumatic retinopexy
We often combine laser or cryopexy with pneumatic retinopexy. We inject a small air bubble into your affected eye after treating your retina. The air bubble helps hold your retina in place, reducing your risk of future tears.
Scleral buckle
A scleral buckle is a thin band that fits around the white part (the sclera) of your eye. The buckle puts gentle pressure on the sides of your eye, which helps push your retina back into place and keep it there.
Vitrectomy
The vitreous is the gel that fills the inside of your eyeballs. When you have a retinal tear or detachment, it causes clumps of proteins to form in your vitreous, causing floaters. During a vitrectomy, we carefully remove most of your vitreous fluid. Then, we can either fill your eye with a clear liquid like silicone oil or a gas bubble. The pressure of the new substance in your eye pushes your retina back into place.
How do I know which retinal detachment treatment is right for me?
One of our ophthalmologists examines your eye to assess your retinal tear before making a recommendation. The severity of your condition determines which treatment is most likely to repair your eye and prevent vision loss.
We often combine treatments. As mentioned above, we may use a laser or cryopexy surgery in addition to a pneumatic retinopexy, scleral buckle, or vitrectomy. We may also combine a scleral buckle and vitrectomy.
Retinal detachments are an emergency. If you have any signs of this condition, call one of our offices right away. We’re located in Dallas, DeSoto, Plano, Mesquite, and Waxahachie, Texas. You can also try to book a same-day appointment online, but we suggest calling in the case of a potentially vision-damaging condition.
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