Elvin Ng’s eye surgery: Doctors explain how myopia can lead to retinal detachment

There have been cases where retinal detachment can also be a sign of permanent age-related vision loss known as glaucoma. Glaucoma and retinal detachment coexist as they share risk factors such as severe myopia, eyeball structural changes and age.

Speaking of age, said Dr Thomas, the years are certainly not kind on the eyes. The vitreous humour naturally liquefies and may separate from the retina in a process known as posterior vitreous detachment, he explained. “If the vitreous humour pulls strongly on the retina, it can create a tear, which may then lead to retinal detachment.”

Other contributing causes include eye trauma, previous eye surgery, a history of retinal detachment in the other eye, and a family history of the condition, he said. 

And sometimes, even innocuous actions such as “frequent eye rubbing could cause retinal tears, which if not treated promptly, will progress to a retinal detachment requiring major surgery”, cautioned Dr Zhao.