Eye Emergency: Sudden Cloudy Vision in One Eye!!

I recently had a patient call in with "cloudy vision in one eye, like a curtain" and I remembered she had a fairly significant near-sighted correction, so I got her in to see the optometrist where I work as soon as she could get into our office. Sure enough, she had a Retinal Detachment. Worse, she was one week from her pregnancy due date! Fortunately, we were able to get her into a retinal specialist very quickly. Oddly enough, my wife picked up on similar clues a couple of days before at the OD office where she works, and again, it was a very significant RD that was still in process.


Dr. Cheryl Murphy has written an article about this sight-stealing condition, which she has kindly given me permission to repost here. You can get more information, and other great blog posts at her blog http://murphyod.wordpress.com/ or check her out on Facebook or on Twitter at @murphyod

Remember - this is a MEDICAL EMERGENCY -  don't hesitate to call your vision care provicer if you think you are experiencing any of these symptoms!

NBA star off the court due to Retinal Detachment

February 24, 2009 by murphyod

Amare Stoudemire, a forward-center for the Phoenix Suns, has had to take a ‘time out’ for the season after experiencing visual disturbances during a game against the Clippers on February 18th. It is reported that ‘he was bothered by the eye during an inbound play and then continued motioning toward it after trying to block an Al Thornton slam. He came out of the game briefly but re-entered and finished with 42 points, his second best scoring game of the season.’(source)

Sources say he was struck in the eye while fouling Al Thorton but was talking to his teammates about how much his eye bothered him even before the game started. (source: Arizona Republic 2/20/09) This is not the first time he has had eye-related problems and injuries. Back in October he was accidentally hit in the eye during training camp by a teammate which resulted in a torn iris to the same eye.

A retinal detachment is a very serious condition which can lead to permanent vision loss. The retina is the sight-seeing tissue that lines the inside of the eye. You can think of it as “film for your eye’s camera.” In this tissue, the image of what you are seeing is captured and sent to the brain for “developing” or interpreting. If the structure of the retina is disturbed or damaged, the image of what you are seeing can not be captured and vision is lost. That is why it is so important to protect the retina. You can do this by getting yearly eye exams and having your pupils dilated so early structure changes in the retina can be detected and cared for.

Blunt trauma is not always the cause of a retinal tear or detachment, they also can happen ‘spontaneously without injury.’

You are at a greater Risk for a tear or detachment if you:

• are Nearsighted (have Myopia)
• have had a Retinal Detachment in the other eye
• have a Family history of Retinal Detachments
• have had cataract surgery
• have had other retinal diseases or conditions such as retinoschisis, uveitis, lattice degeneration, Degenerative Myopia
• and of course, trauma/injury to the eye or orbit (which accounts for Amare’s sports related injury)

Symptoms of Retinal Tears or Detachments are:

• Seeing Flashes of light or ‘lightening bolts’ in your vision
• Seeing a sudden or gradual increase of Floaters which can appear as little dots that swarm into your field of vision, or cobwebs or curtains that block part or all of your vision in either eye

A retinal detachment is a medical emergency and should be taken seriously. You should seek treatment immediately upon experiencing any changes in your vision particularly but not limited to flashes and floaters as we discussed. In my personal opinion, if Amare sensed something was wrong with his vision, his medical team should not have let him re-enter the game, I don’t care how many points he ended up scoring. Amare’s injury may have cost him the season, but it could have cost him a lot more. He is one of the lucky ones. After surgery was performed on his partially torn retina, his prognosis looks good and he is expected to recover in eight weeks (two days too late for this year’s season).

Bottom line, retinal detachments can cost you your sight. Take a proactive, preventitive approach towards protecting your eyes and your vision. Get yearly eye exams including the dilation of your pupils so that your eye doctor can examine your retinas properly. Know the warning signs of retinal detachments and “if you see something, say something.” When in doubt, get it checked out.