What is the cause of retinal detachment in diabetic patient?

Question

Hello doctor,

I am worried about my mother's retinal detachment. She has diabetes and hypertension. I have an x-ray of her eye. She is currently located abroad and I would love to have a second opinion on what process she should be taking.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

Let me first reassure you, your mother case seems to be not urgent. Judging by the information you gave and the attached O.C.T scan (attachment removed to protect patient identity) you have done. The left eye seems quite normal. The right eye has some macular edema. Meaning that there is fluid in the retina that is causing retinal stretching. Also, I can see neurosensory detachment in the retina too, this is probably due to long-standing diabetes. Retinal detachment usually manifests with seeing a bright light and floaters in the visual field as well as a drop of vision. (I will need to know if anything new happened to her vision). In this case, my opinion is, your ophthalmologist will need to Intravitreal injections of Avastin. This will help absorb the fluid leaking in the retina and causing the stretching. If there is detachment he will need to reposition the retina with a vitrectomy procedure and retinal fixation and implanting temporary silicone. Do not worry this procedure can help maintain vision and maybe fix it for the better. It can be a little bit costly and you have to select an experienced vitreoretinal surgeon.Diabetes control, your mom will need to check her diabetes with an internist. I need to know further information as regards to her vision, previous medical history and operation done. When was the last time she has checked with an ophthalmologist so I can help you and tell you more about her management.