The retina is the innermost nerve membrane of the eye, which acts as a film for the camera in our eyes. The separation of the retina from the inner wall of the eyeball is called ‘retinal detachment’. If the retinal detachment continues, it becomes difficult to supply nutrients and oxygen to the retina. In this case, the photoreceptor cells do not function normally and are damaged, resulting in loss of vision.
Typical symptoms of retinal detachment include cataplexy, which looks like an unreal insect flying in front of the eye, and photopsia, which feels like a flash of light. Then, as retinal detachment progresses, cataracts increase or the field of vision becomes obscured as if a curtain has been drawn, and then the stage of loss of central vision is reached. Without proper treatment, it can eventually progress to blindness and eye atrophy.
In addition, since ‘retinal detachment’ is caused by aging or nearsightedness, not only the middle-aged people who start aging of the eyeballs, but also men and women of all ages with myopia are exposed to the risk of retinal detachment. In particular, in Korea, where the rate of high myopia is high, there is a high risk of retinal detachment in people in their 20s and 30s, especially if they have myopia.
Retinal detachment can be prevented from progressing to retinal detachment by simply treating it with a laser if the retina is torn at an early stage. The retina must be reattached through surgery such as gas injection.
The scleral rupture is a surgical procedure that attaches a silicone band to the sclera, the outermost thick membrane of the eyeball, and presses and tightens the eyeball so that the retinal tear is close to the wall. Vitrectomy is an operation that removes the vitreous that fills the eye by inserting a microscopic vitrectomy device into the eye like an endoscope, and attaches the retina.
Meanwhile, in Korea, the proportion of people with myopia is more than 50%. If you have nearsightedness, your retina is thin and your risk of tearing is high. This means that a large number of people are at risk of retinal detachment. In addition, it should be noted that retinal detachment occurs suddenly in most cases.
As such, ‘retinal detachment’ is an eye disease that comes suddenly without notice and has a high risk of blindness in an instant. If prognostic symptoms such as rhinorrhea appear, an ophthalmological examination is absolutely necessary, and if there are risk factors such as high myopia or a family history, regular visits to the ophthalmologist are necessary.
(Writing: SNU Cheongan and Kim Yong-dae)
