Recovery & Support for Retinal Detachment

Most people who have surgery for retinal detachment keep their eyesight. NYU Langone doctors perform regular follow-up exams to monitor your recovery and create a treatment plan to avoid a recurrence. 

A small percentage of people who have surgery experience a recurrence of symptoms and require another surgery. 

Some experience a reduction in the quality of their vision after surgery. This may be caused by a change in the shape of the retinal tissue after a detachment. If this occurs, your NYU Langone doctor may recommend visual rehabilitation to help you adapt your daily routine accordingly.

Visual Rehabilitation

Despite early intervention, retinal detachment sometimes causes some degree of permanent vision loss that cannot be corrected with glasses or other visual aids. At NYU Langone’s Rusk Rehabilitation, occupational therapists—specialists who help people perform everyday tasks—collaborate with ophthalmologists to develop a program that addresses your needs.

If retinal detachment causes central or peripheral vision loss, therapists teach you how to use low-vision devices and adaptive technology for tasks such as reading, writing, using a computer, and driving.

Useful technologies include screen readers that enlarge the size of text on a digital screen to make reading easier, large-button keyboards for easier typing, and “text to speech” software that allows you to listen to rather than read written text. Other adaptive devices include handheld magnifiers or those that are worn on your head. These magnifiers can enlarge TV images and otherwise enhance your vision.

Our occupational therapists can also recommend other devices that help you achieve the highest possible level of comfort and independence.

In addition, our therapists can teach you adaptive strategies to maximize the use of your remaining vision, improving safety and increasing independence. 

This teaching and training can help you adjust to the changes in your vision and function better in your daily activities.