More and more myopic people in the world, a vision defect that affects 2.6 billion people and which brings with it an increase in cases of retinal detachment, a serious event that is one of the most frequent causes of vision loss. “From 2009 to 2016, according to recent data collected in the Netherlands and published in ‘Jama Ophthalmology’, the number of detachment cases grew by 44% and this cannot be explained only by the increase in the population, equal to 3% , but also with the continuous growth of cases of myopia”. A worrying picture according to the experts who, on the occasion of the 11th international Floretina Icoor congress, opened yesterday in Rome with the patronage of the Agostino Gemelli Irccs University Polyclinic Foundation, raised the alarm: “it is necessary to prevent myopia and above all to ensure that the people with this vision defect should undergo regular checks and be informed of the symptoms of retinal detachment to pay attention to, so as to contact a specialist immediately.”
“An American study recently published in ‘Scientific Reports’ has confirmed the fears: analyzing the data of over 85 million people, it has been verified that in those with high myopia the risk of retinal detachment increases by 39 times, in the most short-sighted mild is however triple compared to the norm. The short-sighted eye is in fact more fragile because it is very elongated, the internal tractions that are created can contribute to increasing the risk of retinal detachment”, observes Stanislao Rizzo, president of Floretina Icoor, director of the department of ophthalmologist at the Gemelli Irccs Polyclinic and professor of ophthalmology at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Rome.
The retina does not have pain receptors, but immediately before retinal detachment there are evident symptoms including – as explained by Francesco Faraldi, director of the ophthalmology division of the Ordine Mauriziano Umberto I hospital in Turin – “the floaters, or fluctuating such as spots, black dots, ‘flies’ that blur vision. You may then have sudden flashes of light in the peripheral area of the visual field or the vision of a dark shadow. In these cases – he claims – it is essential to contact a doctor as soon as possible an ophthalmologist. It is also advisable for those who are short-sighted to undergo an annual check-up to evaluate the state of health of their retina. This applies from a very young age: retinal detachment is not the exclusive prerogative of adults and until 6% of cases concern the pediatric population under 12 years of age. In most cases – he concludes – these are events following trauma, but in 15% the fault is high myopia”.
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