Detached retina (retinal detachment)
Overview
A detached retina is when the thin layer at the back of your eye (retina) becomes loose. It needs to be treated quickly to stop it permanently affecting your sight.
Symptoms
Symptoms of a detached retina include: floaters (dots and lines) or flashes of light in your eyea dark "curtain" or shadow in your visionchanges to your eyesight, such as blurred vision You can get a detached retina more than once. Get medical help as soon as possible if the symptoms come back.
Causes
A detached retina is usually caused by changes to the jelly inside your eye, which can happen as you get older. This is called posterior vitreous detachment (PVD). It's not clear exactly why PVD can lead to retinal detachment in some people and there's nothing you can do to prevent it. But it's more likely to happen if you: are short-sightedhave had an eye operation (such as cataract surgery)have had an eye injuryhave a family history of retinal detachment
Treatment
You'll be referred to hospital for surgery if tests show your retina may be detached or has started to come away (retinal tear). Surgery will usually stop your vision getting worse.