Detached Retina

[Sue J]

Very interesting to read other folk's experiences with detachment, repair and recovery. I've been very nearsighted since childhood and I remember getting my first pair of glasses at age 8 and the eye doctor warning me about my retinas. He said that I should never dive face first into water, and avoid getting hit in the face. He described the symptoms of detachment.

I've never had a detachment but one time I had a moving spot that looked like shattered glass and I immediately went to an ophthalmologist who said it was an ophthalmic migraine. I see an ophthalmologist every year and so far my retinas are good.

[Zantastic]

Best wishes for a speedy recovery!

[Meadbh]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zantastic Best wishes for a speedy recovery!

+1

[NW-Bound]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zantastic Best wishes for a speedy recovery!

+1

Besides Nords' link above, I also found some info on Wikipedia: Retinal detachment - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

I was at first surprised that so many posters knew about this ailment. Then, the article above says that the lifetime risk for a person is 1 in 300, increasing to 1 in 20 for people with severe myopia (above 5–6 diopters). Wow!

The most important thing I learn is to get immediate medical attention, or permanent blindness will result in a matter of days. This is scary stuff.

[Amethyst]

There are other reasons than a detached retina to see "sparkles." I get "sparkles" in my vision sometimes when I get up very quickly, but my understanding is that this is due to the sudden change in blood pressure, not retinas.

Amethyst