Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsMacular EdemaCentral Serous RetinopathyDiabetic RetinopathyChoroidal EffusionDiagnosis
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Macular Edema
Central Serous Retinopathy
Diabetic Retinopathy
Choroidal Effusion
Diagnosis
Fluid can build up behind theretinadue to different conditions, includingmacular edemaandcentral serous retinopathy. These conditions may cause symptoms like vision distortion, blind spots, and other vision changes.
This article lists the conditions that cause fluid behind the retina. It also covers what symptoms to look for and the steps you need to take for appropriate diagnosis and treatment.
Withmacular edema, fluid builds up in an area of the retina known as themacula. This is the area that you rely on for sharp central vision. If fluid builds up underneath, the macula can get distorted as the tissue swells.
Symptoms
When you have macular edema, objects may look wavy or distorted and the sizes of objects may vary depending on which eye you’re using to view them. Some of the main symptoms of macular edema include:
Treatment
Macular edema can be serious if left untreated. The damage to the macula can become irreversible and vision loss could be permanent.
Can fluid behind the eye cause blindness?Fluid behind the retina can sometimes lead to a retinal detachment, pushing the retina away as it collects. This is known as an exudative retinal detachment. If the detachment is not promptly treated and is extensive enough, this can cause permanent vision loss.
Can fluid behind the eye cause blindness?
Fluid behind the retina can sometimes lead to a retinal detachment, pushing the retina away as it collects. This is known as an exudative retinal detachment. If the detachment is not promptly treated and is extensive enough, this can cause permanent vision loss.
Withcentral serous retinopathy, fluid can build up under the retina. The retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), which is between the choroid and the retina, stops functioning as it should. Without this working right, fluid begins to build up under the retina.
Central serous retinopathy can cause visual distortion and even a slightretinal detachmentin some cases.
Stress is a major risk factor for central serous retinopathy. People who are often under stress or who have aggressive or competitive personalities tend to be at greater risk for this condition. Other people at greater risk include:
Symptoms of central serous retinopathy may include:
Also, glycosylated red blood cells (which have sugar bound to the hemoglobin) do not bring enough oxygenated blood. This triggers the formation of new blood vessels. These, however, are fragile and easily leak and bleed further. This leads to more fluid behind the retina and ultimately may end up in a detachment.
In the early stages, diabetic retinopathy doesn’t usually have symptoms. As the condition progresses, you may notice vision changes that come and go, including:
In later stages, treatment may include:
Diabetic retinopathy can be serious if it isn’t treated. Untreated diabetic retinopathy can lead to scarring on the back of the eye and bleeding. It can also cause complications such as diabetic macular edema and neovascular glaucoma.
The choroid is a layer of spongy blood vessels between the retina and the white part of your eyes, known as the sclera. The role of the choroid is to deliver nutrition and oxygen to the outside portion of the retina.
If fluid (choroidal effusion) gets between the choroid and sclera, it can lead to a detachment known as serous choroidal detachment. These are generally related to low intraocular pressure, usually following recent glaucoma surgery.
This decrease in pressure allows the fluid to accumulate in the space around the cells while the capillaries become more permeable due to inflammation.
Symptoms of choroidal effusions can vary. Sometimes there aren’t any symptoms, especially when the effusions are small. Larger effusions may cause:
Choroidal effusions aren’t usually considered serious but do need to be observed and managed if necessary. Effusions that occur after surgery usually resolve on their own. If not, treatment may include:
Diagnosis of Fluid Behind the Retina
To determine if you may have fluid beneath the retina, your eye doctor will thoroughly examine your eyes. Some of the tests they will likely use may include:
Amsler Grid Test
AnAmsler grid testis an easy way to determine if your all-important central vision has changed. With this test, you simply look at the grid-like squares and tell the doctor whether any of the lines look wavy or if there are any missing areas. This can help to detect even minor vision changes.
Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT)
Optical coherence tomographytakes cross-sectional pictures of your retina with a special camera. It can measure retinal thickness and detect fluid beneath the retina and swelling. With this information, your doctor can determine whether you need treatment for any fluid trapped under the retina.
Fundus Autofluorescence (FAF)
With autofluorescence imaging, the idea is to make use of the retina’s naturally occurring fluorescence. Even without injecting any dye, when a blue light is used to illuminate the retina, certain structures glow.
These glowing structures can be captured in a black and white image. Characteristic patterns may then indicate that diseases likeage-related macular degenerationor central serious retinopathy are progressing and can help indicate appropriate treatment.
Fluorescein Angiography
Fluorescein angiography can be used to diagnose swelling in the retina. With this, a yellowfluoresceindye is injected into your arm. When it reaches your eyes a few seconds later, it will cause them to shine brightly. A special camera can then be used to take pictures of the area. These can alert your doctor about what type of treatment is needed and where.
Indocyanine Green Angiography
Withindocyanine green angiography, the dye works similarly to fluorescein but only can be viewed in infrared light. Also, it circulates deeper into the retinal layers where they can be photographed with an infrared-sensitive camera. This is often used for choroidal angiography to complement fluorescein angiography of the retina.
Ocular Ultrasound
With this test, also known as a b-scan ultrasound, sound waves are used to create a picture of structures within the eye. This technique can be used to detect complications such as retinal detachment, diabetic retinopathy, and eye cancers.
Summary
Fluid beneath the retina can occur due to inflammation or leaking blood vessels in conditions such as diabetic retinopathy, macular edema, central serous retinopathy, and choroidal effusion. An eye doctor will perform an eye exam and may use various imaging methods to assess the problem.
Treatment depends on the condition causing the fluid buildup. Anti-inflammatory medications, surgery, laser treatment, anti-VEGF injections, or lifestyle changes may be used.
16 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 macular edema?National Eye Institute.At a glance: Macular edema.American Academy of Ophthalmology.Anti-VEGF treatments.American Society of Retina Specialists.Macular edema.American Academy of Ophthalmology.What is central serous chorioretinopathy?National Eye Institute.Diabetic retinopathy.Fusi-Rubiano W, Saedon H, Patel V, Yang YC.Oral medications for central serous chorioretinopathy: A literature review.Eye (Lond). 2020;34(5):809-824. doi:10.1038/s41433-019-0568-yAmerican Diabetes Association.Eye complications.National Eye Institute.At a glance: Diabetic retinopathy.Schrieber, C, Liu, Y.Choroidal effusions after glaucoma surgery.Curr Opin Ophthalmol.2015; 26(2):134–142. doi:10.1097/ICU.0000000000000131American Academy of Ophthalmology.Choroidal effusions.American Academy of Ophthalmology.What is optical coherence tomography.The University of British Colombia.Autofluorescence imaging.American Academy of Ophthalmology.What is fluoroscein angiography.University of Iowa.Indocyanine green angiography.Retina Macula Institute.Ocular ultrasound.
16 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 macular edema?National Eye Institute.At a glance: Macular edema.American Academy of Ophthalmology.Anti-VEGF treatments.American Society of Retina Specialists.Macular edema.American Academy of Ophthalmology.What is central serous chorioretinopathy?National Eye Institute.Diabetic retinopathy.Fusi-Rubiano W, Saedon H, Patel V, Yang YC.Oral medications for central serous chorioretinopathy: A literature review.Eye (Lond). 2020;34(5):809-824. doi:10.1038/s41433-019-0568-yAmerican Diabetes Association.Eye complications.National Eye Institute.At a glance: Diabetic retinopathy.Schrieber, C, Liu, Y.Choroidal effusions after glaucoma surgery.Curr Opin Ophthalmol.2015; 26(2):134–142. doi:10.1097/ICU.0000000000000131American Academy of Ophthalmology.Choroidal effusions.American Academy of Ophthalmology.What is optical coherence tomography.The University of British Colombia.Autofluorescence imaging.American Academy of Ophthalmology.What is fluoroscein angiography.University of Iowa.Indocyanine green angiography.Retina Macula Institute.Ocular ultrasound.
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 macular edema?National Eye Institute.At a glance: Macular edema.American Academy of Ophthalmology.Anti-VEGF treatments.American Society of Retina Specialists.Macular edema.American Academy of Ophthalmology.What is central serous chorioretinopathy?National Eye Institute.Diabetic retinopathy.Fusi-Rubiano W, Saedon H, Patel V, Yang YC.Oral medications for central serous chorioretinopathy: A literature review.Eye (Lond). 2020;34(5):809-824. doi:10.1038/s41433-019-0568-yAmerican Diabetes Association.Eye complications.National Eye Institute.At a glance: Diabetic retinopathy.Schrieber, C, Liu, Y.Choroidal effusions after glaucoma surgery.Curr Opin Ophthalmol.2015; 26(2):134–142. doi:10.1097/ICU.0000000000000131American Academy of Ophthalmology.Choroidal effusions.American Academy of Ophthalmology.What is optical coherence tomography.The University of British Colombia.Autofluorescence imaging.American Academy of Ophthalmology.What is fluoroscein angiography.University of Iowa.Indocyanine green angiography.Retina Macula Institute.Ocular ultrasound.
American Academy of Ophthalmology.What is macular edema?
National Eye Institute.At a glance: Macular edema.
American Academy of Ophthalmology.Anti-VEGF treatments.
American Society of Retina Specialists.Macular edema.
American Academy of Ophthalmology.What is central serous chorioretinopathy?
National Eye Institute.Diabetic retinopathy.
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American Diabetes Association.Eye complications.
National Eye Institute.At a glance: Diabetic retinopathy.
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American Academy of Ophthalmology.Choroidal effusions.
American Academy of Ophthalmology.What is optical coherence tomography.
The University of British Colombia.Autofluorescence imaging.
American Academy of Ophthalmology.What is fluoroscein angiography.
University of Iowa.Indocyanine green angiography.
Retina Macula Institute.Ocular ultrasound.
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