r/RetinalDetachment

Suddenly I had a blurry pinkish spot in the center of my field of vision. My R eye is fine. Then it got darker. It has not gotten bigger and there is no pain. I can see clearly all around the dark spot and when I cover my right eye and move my head, this spot moves with the direction of my head. Also, when I am lookin through both eyes my vision is about the same as before. Just a little blurry in my left eye but there is no dark spot then. It's only when I cover my right eye that it shows up in my left. If I look outside with just that eye, I can see through the spot so it is transparent. Anyone have any idea??? I am going to go to a Dr tomorrow. Our emergency room here is a clown show so I am going to wait. I called and they have no optical equipment. I am in a very small town. BTW I do not have flashing lights or any curtain/shadow.

And I get this light in my eye around that same place, not like a camera flash but a slow light. If I had to describe it, like taking a post it note off. It happens frequently but random. If I close my eyes I can see that light.

Please if anyone has any insight. I will go to the ophthalmologist soon. And also I had a a detached retina before but I forgot for which eye I had had it maybe the same one.

I’m on my honeymoon on Paros island, in Greece. It’s Saturday morning here. I am very near sighted and wear daily contacts. Yesterday I took a short nap (unintentionally) in my contacts and had a new floater when I woke up, like a small thread or eyelash. I took my contacts out and went about my evening.

It’s still there this morning, so I googled it and got myself nervous. I take the ferry back to Athens tomorrow (Sunday) and fly back to Boston on Monday afternoon. I called the various opthamalogist offices on Paros but they are closed for the weekend; presumably there would be someone open on the weekend in Athens but definitely not a given in Greece!

How seriously should I be taking this, especially in terms of getting an appointment before flying? I do not have travel insurance so changing our flights is no small thing. If I rock up to an Athenian opthamalogist’s office at like 8 am on Monday would you expect they will see me quickly enough and resolve the situation enough for me to catch a 3:30pm flight that day?

Edit to add: no other symptoms, no flashing, no dark curtain, no headache. Just a squiggle slightly off center of my vision.

Hey all!

Retinal Detachement is incredibly scary. I wanted to share my positive experience, as it literally saved my vision.

January 2026, opthemologists found that my retina was detached after I saw a shadow in my vision for the past 48 hours. They referred me to a Fellow at the eye care specialist office. I saw her the next day. She recommended a partial victrectomy (gas bubble) and laser to fix a small hole in my retina, which was leading to fluid going behind my retina. I got a good amount of laser and a gas bubble in my eye (it felt like a moment out of a horror game, not gonna lie) and then told me to lay a certain way. I got a 2 week checkup and they said the fluid was partially draining, but not all the way gone. A few days after my checkup, the shadow came back. I was diagnosed once again with detachment as the prior treatment failed. It wasn't anyones fault the treatment failed, more that the retinal detachment needed a bit more intervention to fully heal and be supported. I was referred to get a scleral buckle.

The next day, literally the day before Valentines Day, I went in for the surgery. My surgeon was amazing. She and her team got me in at the end of the day and did their best to calm my nerves (which was quite the feat. My anxiety was through the roof). During this procedure, you go under anesthesia and are in a 'twilight state'. I thought being slightly conscious was going to be horrible. Truthfully, I dont remember the first half of the surgery. When I was slightly more conscious, I realized the surgeons and surgical staff were listing to 2010s pop music and making jokes with one another during the surgery. That, to me, was incredibly comforting. I joked around a bit too since I was able to speak. I felt or saw nothing due to the nerve block they gave me. After wheeling me out of surgery, the surgeon reported to me the buckle surgery and cryo went incredibly well, and I'd see her the next day for post-op.

The next day, she took all the bandages off and did a bit more laser to reinforce the retina in a certain area. I had double vision for a day or two after, but then my brain adjusted to my new eye shape. I had a slight headache and 'waves' of pain once and a while, but nothing major. I had some bloody tears (super scary when it first happens), dry eye, and minor discharge, which is all normal for a healing eye. I was off work for 2 weeks and played a lot of video games, worked on crafts, and binged watched TV shows. I put 3 different kinds of eye drops (atropine, steroids, and antibiotics) in my eyes 4x a day. The atropine stung a bit!

Don't get me wrong, I was anxious during the whole healing process. If any new symptom appeared, I called the eye care center nurse line to check if what I was experiencing was normal or not. I probably called around 30 times in 3ish months. Thankfully, they were understanding. I did go in once to check if some minor flashing/flickering in my side vision was complications, however it came out to just be my eye healing and adjusting to the buckle. I am still seeing my surgeon for post-ops, but she is pushing out the dates of the visits because my eye and buckle looks great.

Once and a while, I see a few flashes. My surgeon assured me this was normal and that I may have them for the rest of my life. My eyes are sometimes a bit sensitive to light, but nothing sunglasses can't fix. I have a couple floaters that hang around in my vision once and a while, but I've come to get used to them. I still have some sub-retinal fluid thats being drained by my body, but my surgeon says thats normal and can take a year and a half to fully absorb. I'm 8 months post op, and have gotten my new prescription glasses/contacts since the incident. It's confirmed I have 20/20 vision again in both of my eyes.

Of course, no one wants to go through a retinal detachment. Mine was due to my myopia, but there are many reasons why it can occur. It's a scary thing to hear you need a silicone band around your eye. In my case, it was worth it. It saved my vision. There are horror stories out there, but this isn't one of them. Whatever happens, all will be okay 🖤

I have glaucoma in both eyes. Right eye being worse. I have an upper and lower implant to manage iOP. Pressure has been stable for years. In March I noticed some weird shadows in my vision so I went and got it checked. Retina was torn. Got in the following week for surgery with a very respected surgeon here in Las Vegas. Surgery went as planned. Face down for 7 days and gas was put in place. (the most horrible 7 days of my life). At this point I had very little vision but was starting to come in some with the bubble going away. At the 3 week point, doc said my retina was tearing again due to scar tissue. This time pulled the macula with it. So in for surgery again. This time with oil. 7 days face down. This time with the oil couldn't see much, beyond incredibly blurry. Could make out objects in the light but that was it. 4 week mark, doc says retina is tearing again due to scar tissue. Surgery again with oil. Doc says all went well. 7 days face down again. Same vision after, almost nothing. 3 MONTH mark this time retina tears again. Surgery. Face down. Oil. Total of 4 surgeries so far. I am now at the 3 week mark and waiting to go in on Monday to see the doc. I am really doing my best to try and stay positive. But this has been by far the most draining experience of my life. And worst of all, I still can't see much of anything at all right now through the oil. Not sure if that is the oil, the retina, the macula, the glaucoma, or a combo.

Recently had surgery for detached retina by a retina specialist. Looking for a second opinion another retina specialist (surgery, recovery). Currently following original surgeon's postop instructions

Second specialist's office told to wait 90 days from procedure date and first doctor "sign off" before they see

Q. Is this normal in U.S., or depend on office or medical situation

Q. Trying to understand if the 90-day requirement is a medical necessity, office policy, insurance related, ...

Not looking for a diagnosis, trying to understand how second opinions work after retinal detachment surgery.

29 F with prescriptions -5.5 and -6.5. last year i went to a new eye doctor who noticed some thinning and discoloration in back of my eye. he recommended i see a specialist. at the time he just thought it was maybe thinning and never mentioned a detachment. they never called and i forgot and never followed up. i went back to my regular eye doctor this year and same area noticed. followed up with retinal specialist who diagnosed me w a significant partial detachment. after doing some eye tests i realized essentially i had a massive blind spot on the top of my vision. i have very light eyes and bad vision so ive always written off any issues or random signs. ive had floaters and flashes of light for a while but unsure when it started. Im set for a SB procedure next week and feeling anxious. Im a stay at home mom to toddlers. my husband is taking 10 days off but Im worried if thats enough.

Hi guys, I'm 25M. Had laser treatment and its only been week but I experience seeing flash (seems like I notice that certain floater is now less visible or have sort of faded tho I still see floaters they're more transparent) and I see it usually in white background more clearly. I was wondering if its serious or does it happen during recovery period.

I'm not able to keep visiting the clinic everytime I see flashes due to lots of stuff and its also not ideal especially if such thing is expected since it hasn't been long after the treatment. Please help me calm down and help me know whether this is how people who have undergone such thing still experience flashes post laser treatment.

Thanks!