The retina is like a film in the eye, similar to a camera. The inside of your eye is filled with a jelly like substance called vitreous, which is very sticky. It serves its purpose only before birth. Afterwards, it is superfluous. When the vitreous gets loose from the retina it is known as retina adhesion.
Instructions
1. Treat floaters with caution. They may turn to more serious diseases like retinal detachment. When the glue like substance pulls away from the retina it might take some small pieces of the retina with it. These floaters are a sign the retina is harmed.
2. The retina feels no pain as there are no nerve endings in it. The rods and cones in your eye send out some bright lights which appear like flashes. Generally the light flashes are only seen when the light is very low and usually on the side of the eye.
3. The eye has various blood vessels. Most of the blood vessels in the retina supply nutrition. The vitreous, on breaking away, may pull the retina so much that it could rupture a blood vessel. When this occurs, this is called hemorrhage of the eye. It is brown or black in color.
4. When blood enters the eye like this, it will generally clear in one to three months. However if the tear is at the back of the vitreous then there is a higher chance of a tear. To diagnose it, an ultrasound of the eye is performed.
5. If, on separation, the glue is so strong as to not go easily then the retina has to give way to the vitreous. Thus a retinal tear occurs. When the retina tears it is generally on the side so vision is not lost. When the vitreous enters behind the retina there is a chance of retinal separation.
6. When the vitreous separates, the doctor checks your eye with a high power light and a scleral depressor. He may numb your eyeballs and use special contact lenses to check for retinal tears. Floaters can be removed by surgery but it is risky, as all surgeries are.
7. The retinal tear is treated by using laser surgery, which normally lasts about 10 minutes.
Tags: When vitreous, blood vessels, from retina, like substance, retinal tear