FREAKY EYE Thursday

i know it's not Friday, but i'll be celebrating our nation's birthday then.  so we'll do another Freaky Eye picture today.  

a member at our church just suffered a retinal detachment this week.  i had a few people ask me what that was, so here's an explanation and a cool picture.

the inner lining of the eye is called the retina.  it is very fragile and delicate.  occasionally, a hole or tear can develop in this thin tissue.  when this happens, the retina will begin to pull away from the back of the eye, causing a vision loss in that area.  if it proceeds far enough, it can cause blindness.  fortunately, most retinal detachments are small and in the far periphery of our eyes, limiting the amount of vision loss.

the picture below shows an advanced retinal detachment.  the camera is focused on the attached retina and optic nerve and blood vessels at the bottom of the image.  the blurry white blob at the top of the image is where that thin retina has fallen forward like a sheet or a blanket.  if this detachment would have proceeded much further, it would have led to blindness.

you're probably freaking out right now, wondering if you're at risk for having a retinal detachment.  here are some main risk factors:

1. extreme nearsightedness (anything greater than -4.00 D)

2. history of head trauma

3. relative of someone who has suffered a retinal detachment

the best prevention is early detection.  when was the last time you had your eyes dilated?  hmm???  we don't dilate your eyes to be mean; we do it to check your eyes for signs that you may be at risk for having a retinal detachment.  

if you were having a retinal detachment, you might have some symptoms.  if you experience a brand new set of floaters in your vision, or any flashes of light in your side vision, or any loss of your side vision, you need to get your eyes checked immediately.  the sooner treatment can be provided, the better your outcome.

other resources:

NEI

Retinal Detachment Diary