The retinal detachment cannot be treated with medication. Instead, surgical interventions or laser treatments are necessary. Laser treatment Laser treatment does not treat the cause, so it does not heal.
Instead, only retinal tears can be “sealed off”. The laser only works when the retina is in contact with its substrate. Holes can thus be enclosed by scarring. Once the retina is detached, the laser treatment can no longer have any effect.
The Operation
There are several things to consider in the surgical treatment of retinal detachment: the pull of the vitreous body on the retina must be reduced, the retinal tear must be closed and a scar must be artificially created to prevent repeated detachment. The retina can be reattached using various procedures.
- Denting surgeryA seal, usually made of rubber, is sewn onto the outside of the eye, which then dents the eye from the outside, thus reattaching the retina.
A kind of belt can also be tied around the eye, a so-called cerclage. This happens especially when there are several holes in the retina. The denting measures are not removed even after the tears have healed.
The risk of re-entry would be too high.
- Removal of the vitreous bodyIf the holes are located at the posterior pole of the eye, i.e. in the immediate vicinity of the optic nerve and the site of sharpest vision, a denting operation is out of the question. In such a case, the vitreous body is removed from the eye – it only has a nourishing function for the eye during development, but can otherwise be removed. The vitreous body is replaced by an oil or gas.
Gas escapes from the eye by itself or is absorbed, oil must be surgically removed after about 3 – 6 months. As a frequent consequence of the oil filling of the eye, “cataracts” develop with a certain delay in almost all patients. The lens becomes cloudy and has to be removed, as this considerably reduces vision.
