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History:
- A recent history of floaters and flashes of light are common
- Curtain coming across the vision
- Visual acuity variable depending if the macula is involved. If the vision is normal,
- Visual field defect
- Ophthalmic examination in a dilated pupil shows greyish retina, hole and tear may be seen.
referral becomes more urgent as the macular function may be involved by the extension
of the detachment.
- Refer the patient the same day
- Patients will require surgical management which consists of sealing the retinal breaks
(using cryotherapy or laser) and relieving the vitreous traction (using indentation or vitrectomy)
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| Figure 1
This patient presented to the eye casualty with a sudden onset black shadow over his right eye.Fundoscopy reveals a retinal detachment. Note the wrinkled retina; this is a common sign of retinal detachment. |
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| Figure 2
A patient with retinal detachment showing retinal tear.This patient requires treatment to seal the hole in order to prevent retinal detachment. This can either be achieved with laser or cryotherapy. In patients who complain of sudden onset floaters, it can be difficult to find abnormalities with a direct ophthalmoscope as the tears or holes are often in the peripheral retina. Therefore, it is important to refer all patients with sudden onset floaters. |