Like so many health conditions, Ariff (not his real name) completely missed this one. While it’s true you can’t possibly keep tabs on every health scenario, Arif was somehow completely oblivious about this particular one.

Until it happened.

It was a Wednesday morning when upon waking up, Ariff began to experience blurry vision in his left eye. He examined his eye closely in the mirror but there was no pain or redness.

But as he was caught up with work, he delayed seeing an eye doctor.

As the days wore on, his vision worsened. He began to notice black spots suddenly blocking his vision. But he ignored that too, pushing it to the back of his mind, thinking the problem would resolve itself.

On Saturday morning, as he was preparing to drive to his sister’s place, he realised he was unable to see certain parts of the road.

When he covered his right eye with his hand, he noticed a dark shadow obscuring some of the vision in his left eye. He waited a few minutes and tried again. Same result. He called his family doctor.

He was immediately asked the following questions:

• Did he see floaters? Yes.
• Did he see flashes of light? Yes.
• Was there a part of the vision which was blurred? Yes, the bottom half.

Ariff was advised to immediately undergo an eye examination. At the clinic, the doctor confirmed the diagnosis of “retinal detachment”.

Fortunately for Ariff, because he had caught it early, the retina was only partially and not completely detached. She referred him to a retina eye specialist who arranged for surgery that very day.

“Typically, we see retinal detachments in high risk patients such as those with high myopia (short-sightedness) and those who have suffered trauma or injury to the eye. But sometimes, it just happens in people as they age,” the specialist explained.

“Our eyes are hollow organs with the cavity filled with a clear jelly called the vitreous. The vitreous is, in turn, loosely attached to the retina lining the inside of the eye.

“When we are born, its consistency is thick and rigid, but as we age, this jelly starts to liquefy and shrink. The jelly then pulls free from the wall of the eye and ‘floats’ in the middle.

“This is a normal, age-related process and the reason why many of us see small floaters.”

The doctor added that in high risk patients where their retina is thinner, the pull of the jelly can cause a tear in the retina. This will cause symptoms of flashing lights, which is an important warning sign.

“During this time, the vision may still be normal. If however, this retina tear is not treated, the tear will progress into a retinal detachment causing loss of vision; with the appearance of a ‘curtain’ over the field of vision.

There are various procedures to repair a detached retina. Ariff’s was done using a ‘key-hole’ operation, known as a vitrectomy.

At the end of the procedure, a gas bubble was injected to support the retina as it reattaches.

As a result, Ariff had to position his head upright for seven to 10 days to keep the bubble in the correct position within the eye. Yes, that included sleeping in an upright position with his head propped up with pillows.

At his next visit two weeks later, his specialist confirmed that the retina had successfully reattached itself after the gas bubble had resorbed naturally.

Ariff is now able to sleep any which way he likes, since the bubble is gone.

He is also able to engage in low impact exercises like walking but is not allowed to play contact sports or strenuous physical high impact exercises for the next three months as the eye heals.

A full recovery is expected after around six months.

Ariff is sharing his story to let people know that most retinal detachment surgeries can be successful if detected early.

Sometimes a second operation may be required. The more severe the detachment, the less likely that complete vision can be restored.

If your vision is blurred or suddenly disturbed, don’t panic. But do consult an eye doctor immediately for a diagnosis.

TELEME Healing Life Stories is a collection of inspirational stories of how ordinary people triumph over their health conditions and recover to lead a healthier life after that. Feel free to email [email protected] to share your story.  

Click here to learn more about the condition or download the app to chat with a health practitioner.