What is the treatment for retinal detachment?
Once the diagnosis is established, usually the patient is put on complete bed rest. This has the advantage of settling the retina down and decreasing the height of the detachment. At the same time a detailed examination is done for holes or tears in the retina, as they all have to be detected in advance and the position of each plotted on a chart or retinal map for successful treatment. Surgery is usually done using heat (diathermy) to weld the retina to the overlying choroid and cryotherapy (intense cold at -40 C). If the detachment is excessive, a silicon band is tied around the eye (encirclage) with a small extra silicone piece (plombage) kept at the maximum height of the detachment to “buckle” the retina properly. When is the laser or the photocoagulator used? Both the laser and the photocoagulator are sources of extreme light energy used for welding the retina from inside. Their main advantage is to seal the retina off from a tear the moment a shallow detachment is detected, or if
