Retinal detachment
In most people, a shrinking of the vitreous body (in technical jargon, a "posterior vitreous detachment") occurs with increasing age. In most cases this is without consequences, but it can sometimes lead to a tear in the retina and rarely to a retinal detachment. Therefore a thorough ophthalmoscopy Link Opthalmoscopy is advisable in these cases. Untreated, a retinal tear can develop into a retinal detachment. If the retinal tear is detected early, treatment with laser or cold pencil (cryotherapy, in case of peripheral tears) can prevent retinal detachment. At the University Clinic for Ophthalmology of the Inselspital, state-of-the-art laser devices Link Overview are available to perform this treatment. In the case of larger or peripheral tears, "freezing" of the tears can be carried out using a cold pencil (cryocoagulation). As a rule, it takes about a week for the treatment to close the crack and regular checks are therefore necessary.