Treating Retinal Tears and Detachments

Depending on your retinal damage, your doctor may use one or more procedures to treat the problem. Some treatments can be done in your eye doctor's office. Others require surgery in a hospital or surgery center. In some cases, emergency treatment may be necessary to save your sight.

Sealing a Tear

Tears are treated to prevent fluid from leaking beneath the retina and causing a detachment. Treatments include:

• Laser therapy. The eye may be numbed. Then a laser beam is directed into the eye. This creates small scars that seal the area around the tear.

• Cryotherapy. The eye is numbed. A freezing probe is then placed on the outside of the eye next to the tear. This bonds the tissue together.

Fixing a Detachment

There are several methods for treating retinal detachments. These include:

• Pneumatic retinopexy. The eye is filled with a gas bubble. As the gas expands, it pushes the retina back into place.

• Scleral buckling. A scleral buckle is a soft band that is put around part or all of the eye. It is then tightened to press the eye wall against the retina.

• Vitrectomy. The vitreous may be surgically removed to keep it from pulling on the retina.