"If you're very nearsighted* & over 40 (maybe
younger) you are more susceptible to Detached Retina-You have a 1 in 20
chance in your life time of a detachment versus 1 in 300 for the
general population"
* -6.0 Diopter correction or greater |
A Detached Retina is a Medical
Emergency-
most people know about heart attack and a
stroke symptoms, but few know about detached retina symptoms and the urgent need to get
treatment.
Open Letter to Eye care professionals
Detached Retina Symptoms
Flashes of light, increase in Floaters, or a Dark Curtain across your field of vision.
Reported other symptoms very widely and
include - holes in visual field, peripheral vision loss, wavy lines, and
sometimes no symptoms. See an eye M.D. if you sense something strange or
unusual going on with your vision.
|
You Need to Act
Quickly
If you have any of the above
detached retina symptoms
go see an eye M.D. ASAP! Call them at night, weekends or holidays, whatever. If
the Retina is detached it should be reattached within 24 hrs for best outcome. Do not
wait! Too many people wait. You won't die from inaction but you may lose sight in the
affected eye. Your vision is valuable, take care of it! If you don't
have an eye MD click here to
find one. |
Find a Eye
Specialist in the U.K. - link to SpecialistInfo.com (U.K. medical
specialist database)
Link to "Find an Eye M.D."
Utility on AAO Web Site AAO is American Academy of Ophthalmology
Note: As of 12/30/09 the AAO site is inoperative due to systems upgrading
per site notice.
National Eye
Institute Detached Retina Resource Guide
History
I
started this web site in 1999 to reach
"At Risk" people with information that was not given to me in 45 years
of going to a dozen Optometrists and Ophthalmologists . I am an
engineer/ management consultant, not an eye care professional. Since
October 1999 over 250,000
people have visited this site. 100's have sent me direct emails asking for help and many
say the message here saved their eyesight. This is the number one detached retina website
on the web and our companion newsgroup at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/detached-retina
has over 1300 members (Spring 2006) and is
the number one vision related newsgroup with over 25,000 messages
posted.
"Hal at sightwise.org" |
| |
FOR MORE INFO SEE BELOW
My Story
The Risk
Detached
Retina News Group
Other Stories
The Surgery
Resources
My
Detached Retina Story
On August 31, 1999,
while doing computer work at 1:30 in the afternoon, a "Dark Cloud" began to move
across my field of vision and I could not see out of my right eye (my best eye) after a
few seconds. I was in the Ophthalmologist office closest to home by 3:30, with a Retinal
Surgeon by 10:00 am the next day and out of eye surgery by 1:00 in the afternoon the third
day. Three days that changed my life. I have recovered now but a lot has changed. No more
running 3 to 4 miles three times a week, no more weight lifting, no more roller coasters. In 45 years of going to eye care specialists nobody warned me about the
risk. I was pretty nearsighted with well over a 6 Diopter
correction. If you are nearsighted you know what this means. My sister, who is also very
nearsighted, also had never been warned about the risk. On January 1, 2001 the same thing
happened to her! We were able to get her to a retinal surgeon
in 6 hours on a Holiday. |
What would I have done
differently if someone had told me about the risk of detached retina?
1. Stopped running
2. Better management of seasonal allergies (sneezing etc)
3. Limited weight lifting-I was really pushing the weight up.
4. Reduce other heavy straining
5. No more riding the fastest amusement park rides
6. Every 4 months checkup by an Ophthalmologist (the Optometrist I saw in May
1999 did not tell me about the risk and he was more nearsighted than I was!).
7. Bought a car with a dual stage smart
airbag.
Click here for other detached retina personal reports
What are your chances?
(Source "Retinal Detachment"
Gregory Luke Larkin, MD, MS, MSPH, FACEP,
Professor of Surgery, Associate Director of Emergency Medicine, Department
of Surgery, Section of Emergency Medicine, Yale University School of
Medicine)
| Overall chance of a detached
retina in any given year for the general population in the U.S. is 1 chance in 15,000.
Some sources indicate chances are 1 in 10,000. That's 25,000 people with a detached retina
in the U.S. each year! 5% of very
nearsighted people (over 6 Diopter correction) will experience a retinal detachment
in their lifetime.
40 to 50 % of retinal detachment patients are nearsighted/shortsighted (myopic).
Click here to see this reference paper |
Your risk
of detached retina increases:
1.If you are very nearsighted.
2. As you grow older.
3. If you are physically very active (including extra strenuous work e.g.
tree surgeon).
4. If you already had a Detached Retina in one eye ( I am at high risk).
Click here for
description of detached retina causes and treatments
Click here for more on the surgical procedures I had and you
might have to have
Click here for a site visitor's account of a retinal tear repair (a
tear can precede a detachment)
Direct
a Question to a Retinal Surgeon
AskPhysicians.com (Sign-up, get a password, select retinal disease forum and direct
your questions to one of two retinal surgeons)
Many
site visitors have asked about a news group about detached retina. I have set one up and
there is no other. Join and post a message
Click here to go to detached-retina newsgroup
Get the word out you can
make a difference!
|
