A 60-year-old client's long history of poorly controlled hypertension has culminated in a diagnosis of retinal detachment. What type of retinal detachment is this client most likely to have experienced?

Question

A) Rhegmatogenous detachment
B) Exudative retinal detachment
C) Posterior vitreous detachment
D) Traction retinal detachment

Answer 1

Ans: B
Feedback:
Exudative (or serous) retinal detachment results from the accumulation of serous or hemorrhagic fluid in the subretinal space due to severe hypertension, inflammation, or neoplastic effusions. Rhegmatogenous detachment is a full-thickness break ("rhegma") in the sensory retina, with the passage of liquefied vitreous through the break into the subretinal space. Persons with high grades of myopia or nearsightedness may have abnormalities in the peripheral retina that predispose to sudden detachment. In moderate to severe myopia, the anteroposterior length of the eye is increased, and the retina tends to be thinner and more prone to formation of a hole or tear. As a result, there is greater vitreoretinal traction, and posterior vitreous detachment may occur at a younger age than in persons without myopia. Traction retinal detachment occurs with mechanical forces on the retina, usually mediated by fibrotic tissue, resulting from previous hemorrhage (e.g., from diabetic retinopathy), injury, infection, or inflammation. Intraocular surgery such as cataract extraction may produce traction on the peripheral retina that causes eventual detachment months or even years after surgery.