Retinal checks a must

The eye is like a camera with a lens inside to focus and a film in the back for exposure of the image. The film part of the camera in the eye is called the retina and this retinal layer is attached to the inside of the eye ball like a wallpaper. Imagine a small tear on your wall paper, which, if you don’t patch straight away, will gradually peel off.
Similarly, if there is a tear or a hole in the retinal periphery that is not repaired in time, the retina will slowly peel off leading to a retinal detachment (RD), which could cause blindness, if not treated in time.
Symptoms of retinal detachment include flashes in vision along with floaters (like mosquitoes flying around in front of the eye) which people often dismiss as signs of weakness. However, these could be the first signs of a retinal tear or a hole, which if left untreated could lead to RD and a subsequent loss of vision. The main culprit for these tears and holes is a weak area in the retinal periphery also known as lattice degeneration.
What is the best mode of treatment for this condition? Of course, prevention. At the stage of lattice degeneration or a flat hole or a tear, the patching could be done by applying green laser microscopic burns all around the weak areas, thus preventing RD.
A retinal detachment never occurs because of laser application or improper reading or television watching habits or even mismanaging contact lenses. A retinal detachment can happen at any given age, but it is common in people suffering from short sightedness (myopic).
In fact one of the main reasons why the British government provides free eye tests to its citizens is because of silent killers of the eye like glaucoma, diabetes.
The surgical results of retinal detachment are always with guarded prognosis and is dependent on how extensive the detachment is. Hence, prevention is better than cure.
It is advised that everybody, especially those suffering from myopia gets an annual eye test done. Do request the specialist to include pressure check ups and retinal check ups. An eye test is never complete without checking the pressures and the retina. And all it will cost you to ensure the safety of your eyes is a meagre Rs 150-Rs 200

Tagged as: mosquitoes, myopic, RD