Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat It IsSymptomsCausesRisk FactorsDiagnosisTreatmentSummary
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
What It Is
Symptoms
Causes
Risk Factors
Diagnosis
Treatment
Summary
A retinal tear is a common age-related eye condition. It causes eye floaters and flashes of light and may lead to more severe vision problems.
On its own, a torn retina will not damage your eyesight. However, prompt treatment is needed. A retinal tear can quickly progress to aretinal detachment, which can cause permanent vision loss.
This article discusses retinal tears. It examines the symptoms, causes, and complications that can occur from a torn retina. It also explains when to see a vision specialist and how a torn retina is treated.
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What Is a Retinal Tear?
Theretinais a thin layer of light-sensitive tissue that lines the back of the eye. Located near the optic nerve, it receives light and sends pictures to the brain of what the eye sees.
As we age, the vitreous gel, a clear jelly-like substance that fills most of the eye’s interior, begins to break down, shrink, and pull away from the retina. This process is known as posterior vitreous detachment.
Most of the time, this happens without causing problems. Sometimes, though, the vitreous sticks to the retina and pulls it hard enough to cause a hole or tear.
Fluid can leak through the tear and cause the retina to lift away from the back of the eye, known as a retinal detachment. When this happens, the retina is unable to receive and process light. As a result, it sends distorted images to the brain—or none at all.
Retinal Tear vs. Retinal Hole
A retinal hole is a retinal tear in which a piece of tissue called an operculum is torn out of the retina. If this occurs in or near the center of the retina in an area known as the macula, it is called a macular hole, which may be more noticeable than a tear in the outer parts of the retina.
A macular hole distorts your central vision, causing things to look blurry, cloudy, or wavy and making it difficult to see smaller details. Left untreated, the hole will grow, casting a dark shadow or blindspot in one eye.
Retinal Tear Symptoms
A torn retina is not painful, and you may not initially have any apparent signs. Symptoms of a retinal tear include flashes and floaters:
Complications
Retinal tears can quickly progress into the following more serious eye problems.
Vitreous Hemorrhage
A retinal tear can cause blood to leak into the vitreous, known as a vitreous hemorrhage.
A vitreous hemorrhage is not painful but does cause:
A vitreous hemorrhage may clear on its own but can also cause further damage to your eye and should be examined.
Retinal Detachment
Retinal tears can quickly progress to retinal detachment and cause the following symptoms:
Seek Prompt Medical CareA retinal tear can quickly cause a retinal detachment, which is a medical emergency. Call your eye doctor immediately if you experience the following:A rapid increase in floaters or flashersA shadow or curtain over your field of visionSudden trouble focusing or blurred visionA delay in treatment could worsen your outcome.
Seek Prompt Medical Care
A retinal tear can quickly cause a retinal detachment, which is a medical emergency. Call your eye doctor immediately if you experience the following:A rapid increase in floaters or flashersA shadow or curtain over your field of visionSudden trouble focusing or blurred visionA delay in treatment could worsen your outcome.
A retinal tear can quickly cause a retinal detachment, which is a medical emergency. Call your eye doctor immediately if you experience the following:
A delay in treatment could worsen your outcome.
What Causes a Retinal Tear?
The retina processes light through light-sensitive cells called photoreceptor cells. These cells detect light stimuli, which are interpreted as images.
The photoreceptor cells pass the information on to the optic nerve, which sends visual information to the brain. The brain then sorts through the information and “develops” the pictures.
In most cases, a retinal tear occurs when the vitreous gel inside the eye, also called the vitreous humor, contracts and tears the retina away from the eye wall.
The primary function of vitreous gel is to help the eyeball hold its spherical shape during fetal eye development.After the eye develops in utero, the purpose of the vitreous gel is unknown. There is still a lot to learn about the role of the gel.
This gel also helps the retina hold its place against the interior wall of the eyeball. The contraction of the vitreous gel can occur slowly over time or suddenly after experiencing trauma to the eye.
Risk Factors for Retinal Tears
While a retinal tear can occur in anyone at any age, they become more common after age 60.Other risk factors for retinal tears include:
Some health conditions can also increase your risk of a retinal tear, such as:
Retinal tears are diagnosed throughophthalmoscopy.This painless test uses an ophthalmoscope to magnify and illuminate the eye. This allows for a closer inspection of the retina and other structures in the eye.
Ophthalmoscopes come in three different types, which your eye doctor may use:
You may be given eye drops todilate your pupilsprior to the test. The drops take 20 to 30 minutes to work and may cause temporary light sensitivity.
Other tests may be needed, particularly if bleeding obstructs the view of the retina. Your eye doctor may also perform the following:
What to Expect From an Eye Exam
A retinal tear does not always require treatment. Low-risk tears with no symptoms can sometimes be monitored closely without treatment. Some tears even resolve on their own.
In most cases, though, surgery is needed to reseal the retina. Treatment can often be done in an ophthalmologist’s office and may include:
Both procedures create a scar that seals the retina to the back of the eye, preventing fluid from traveling through the tear and under the retina. The procedure usually prevents the retina from detaching completely.
How Long Does It Take to Heal a Torn Retina?Healing after treatment for a torn retina can take a while. After about 10 days, you should start to see improvement. However, it can take up to six months for the healing process to be complete.
How Long Does It Take to Heal a Torn Retina?
Healing after treatment for a torn retina can take a while. After about 10 days, you should start to see improvement. However, it can take up to six months for the healing process to be complete.
A retinal tear can cause you to see stars, flashes of light, and specks or squiggles floating across your eye. The retina is a light-sensitive part of the eye that transmits images to the brain.
With prompt treatment, retinal tears usually heal entirely. However, recovery can be slow, and it can take up to six months before your vision returns to normal.
Why Am I Seeing Black Spots in My Vision?
12 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Academy of Ophthalmology.What is a torn retina?American Academy of Ophthalmology.Retina.National Eye Institute.Retinal detachment.American Academy of Ophthalmology.What is a macular hole?American Academy of Ophthalmology.What are flashes and floaters?National Eye Institute.At a glance: floaters.American Academy of Ophthalmology.Vitreous hemorrhage: diagnosis and treatment.American Academy of Ophthalmology.Detached retina.National Eye Institute.Types and causes of retinal detachment.National Eye Institute.Vitreous detachment.American Society of Retina Specialists.Posterior vitreous detachment.U.S. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Ophthalmoscopy.Additional ReadingThompson JT.Retinal tears. American Society of Retina Specialists.
12 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Academy of Ophthalmology.What is a torn retina?American Academy of Ophthalmology.Retina.National Eye Institute.Retinal detachment.American Academy of Ophthalmology.What is a macular hole?American Academy of Ophthalmology.What are flashes and floaters?National Eye Institute.At a glance: floaters.American Academy of Ophthalmology.Vitreous hemorrhage: diagnosis and treatment.American Academy of Ophthalmology.Detached retina.National Eye Institute.Types and causes of retinal detachment.National Eye Institute.Vitreous detachment.American Society of Retina Specialists.Posterior vitreous detachment.U.S. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Ophthalmoscopy.Additional ReadingThompson JT.Retinal tears. American Society of Retina Specialists.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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American Academy of Ophthalmology.What is a torn retina?
American Academy of Ophthalmology.Retina.
National Eye Institute.Retinal detachment.
American Academy of Ophthalmology.What is a macular hole?
American Academy of Ophthalmology.What are flashes and floaters?
National Eye Institute.At a glance: floaters.
American Academy of Ophthalmology.Vitreous hemorrhage: diagnosis and treatment.
American Academy of Ophthalmology.Detached retina.
National Eye Institute.Types and causes of retinal detachment.
National Eye Institute.Vitreous detachment.
American Society of Retina Specialists.Posterior vitreous detachment.
U.S. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Ophthalmoscopy.
Thompson JT.Retinal tears. American Society of Retina Specialists.
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