Retinal Detachment

Synonyms

Ablatio retinae

Definition

Detachment of the neurosensory from the underlying retinal pigment epithelium.

Histology

Diagnosis of retinal detachment (RD) is usually made upon clinical or sonographical examination. Nevertheless, there are some specific changes found in histology. Like clinical findings, these depend highly upon stage of RD and are therefore dependent on time passed since acute RD.

At early stages, only little changes may be found within the retina. In animal models, the earliest sign is intraretinal edema. Photoreceptors show a loss of the horizontal orientation of the discs within the outer segment. Swelling of the nucleous may represent hypoxic condition of various retinal cells. Retinal pigment epithelium cells (RPE) present a swelling, and at later stages these cells partly separate from Bruch’s membrane. Clumps of proliferating RPE cells and macrophages are later found on both surfaces of the detached retina.

At later stages, the detached retina shows signs...