{"id":15141,"date":"2021-07-11T08:10:58","date_gmt":"2021-07-11T08:10:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/?page_id=15141"},"modified":"2021-12-13T12:19:59","modified_gmt":"2021-12-13T12:19:59","slug":"retinal-holes-and-tears","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-eye-conditions\/guide-to-retinal-diseases\/retinal-holes-and-tears\/","title":{"rendered":"Retinal Holes and Tears"},"content":{"rendered":"

Retinal holes and tears affect over 10% of the population.<\/b><\/h2>\n

The retina is the thin, inside lining of the eye that is light-sensitive and generates vision. Holes and tears that form in the retina significantly increase the risk of many retinal diseases<\/a>, in particularly retinal detachment<\/a>, which can cause sudden and total loss of vision.<\/p>\n

When your eye doctor shines a bright light in your eyes, they’re conducting an examination of your eye health<\/a>, including retinal diseases.<\/p>\n

What are retinal holes and tears?<\/b><\/h2>\n

Retinal holes and tears are types of retinal conditions<\/a> and are diagnosed as small breaks in the retina. Usually, holes and tears don’t immediately result in serious vision problems.\u00a0 However, retinal holes and tears may cause problems if fluid seeps behind the retina.<\/p>\n

Fluid builds up\u00a0 behind the retina, can cause the retina to separate from the wall of the eye, damaging part of the retina.<\/p>\n

Retinal holes and tears are urgent\u00a0retinal diseases<\/a> that can lead to total blindness.<\/b><\/p>\n

What causes retinal holes and tears?<\/b><\/h2>\n

The vitreous is a clear gel-like material that fills the space between the retina and the back of the eye. This gel is attached to the retina at birth, but it separates from the retina as we become older, resulting in a posterior vitreous detachment (PVD). In most cases, this does no harm.<\/p>\n

However, some people inherently have a more \u201csticky\u201d vitreous. As the vitreous separates from the retina, it pulls,\u00a0 causing the retina to tear.<\/p>\n

While retinal tears may occur as a result of eye trauma, most retinal tears occur spontaneously due to a PVD.<\/p>\n

Another cause of a retinal hole or tear is thinning or weakening of the tissues of the retina over time.<\/p>\n

Is there a difference between retinal holes and retinal tears?<\/b><\/h2>\n

The terms retinal hole and tears may often be used interchangeably, but there is a clinical difference.<\/p>\n

While retinal holes develop due to progressive thinning of the retina, retinal tears develop when the vitreous pulls on the retina.<\/p>\n

Retinal holes are typically smaller and have a lower risk of causing a retinal detachment. There are some instances where retinal holes should be treated the same as retinal tears.<\/p>\n

What are the symptoms?<\/b><\/h2>\n

Sometimes retinal tears and holes have no symptoms. At other times, the symptoms are quite obvious, which can include;<\/p>\n