The retina is a thin layer of tissue on the inside back wall of your eye, containing millions of light-sensitive cells and other nerve cells that receive and organize visual information. Your retina sends this information to the brain through your optic nerve, enabling you to see.

Retinal tears and detachments happen when the retina (the inner lining of the eye) is damaged.

A retinal tear is a small break in this inner lining. Retinal tears can lead to retinal detachments if they go untreated. Retinal tears can have many causes and can happen at any age. Aging, eye trauma, eye surgery, family history or being very nearsighted may cause retinal tears.

Warning symptoms of a retinal tear or detachment include a sudden or gradual increase in the number of floaters (blobs, black spots or spider webs moving through the vision), flashes of light in the eye or the appearance of a veil or curtain over the field of vision.

Tears and detachments can be treated with laser surgery or an advanced “freezing” process. Both treatment options attempt to keep the retina in place and keep it from fully detaching. If tears are not treated quickly, this layer of tissue can eventually detach from the inside of the eye. Retinal detachments are then treated with surgery. If Detachments are not treated on an urgent basis it can result in permanent vision loss.