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Fishing for Answers About Retinal Detachment
For years eye surgeons have relied on sterile, transparent silicone oil and various other expansile fluids and gases to keep the delicate retina where it belongs. Hmmm...how can I explain this more clearly?
I want you to think about a round fishbowl. This is kind of like a human eye when a person is laying on their back - just like in the operating room. Instead of water, the eyeball is filled with clear vitreous gel. In older adults the vitreous gel turns to water. See? It is very much like our eyeball example.
Now, the thin retina is similar to a very thin layer of transparent wallpaper lining our fishbowl. How thin? Try using Saran Wrap as the wallpaper.
Okay, now for whatever reason if a hole develops in the cellophane water will seep underneath and elevate the wallpaper. This is precisely what happens in most retinal detachments.
If traditional surgical techniques fail to repair the floating retina an operation is performed to remove the water (vitrectomy) and replace it with silicone oil or other synthetic substance that is heavier than water. The new fluid will push the retina (wallpaper) back onto the wall of the fishbowl (eyeball). In time the retina will heal and its reattachment will stick. Was that clear enough?
In time the silicone oil can be removed and replaced with sterile water. Most gas bubbles slowly reabsorb and the eye produces its own fluid to maintain the eye's volume. Interestingly, patients who undergo vitreous-gas exchange should not fly in an airplane because at higher altitudes the gas bubble will expand too much and possibly damage the eye.
Know someone dealing with a retinal detachment? Help them better understand their situation by sharing the story of the fishbowl.
Related Topics: Technorati Tags: retinal detachment, vision
