NBC Today Show anchor Savannah Guthrie recently revealed that she is undergoing treatment for a torn retina after sustaining an injury when her two-year-old son accidentally jabbed her right eye with a toy train. The injury caused a retinal tear, and she has undergone a series of laser treatments to repair it. She has reported that her vision is still blurry but improving.
As with Guthrie’s case, common symptoms of a penetrating eye injury include pain as well as blurred or double vision. This type of injury can cause severe problems, including retinal detachment, infection and vision loss, especially if left untreated. As a result, all eye injuries should be evaluated by an ophthalmologist as soon as possible.
Texas Retina Associates provides a full range of treatment for penetrating eye injuries, including retinal tears and detachment. If there is no detachment, most retinal tears can be sealed using a laser treatment called photocoagulation or a freezing treatment called cryopexy. If the retina is detached, most patients will require surgery to place the retina back in its proper position. There are a number of different surgical procedures that can be used depending on the patient’s specific condition. These include pneumatic retinopexy, scleral buckle surgery and vitrectomy.
Learn more about penetrating ocular trauma here.
Learn more about treatment for a retinal tear or detachment here.
You can read more about Savannah Guthrie’s story here.