In patients who have retinal tears, fluid from the vitreous cavity can move through the tear and underneath the retina, causing a retinal detachment. This slide shows a detachment demonstrating retinal folds and loss of some transparency of the inner retina tissue so that the underlying orange color is less apparent. Patients with a retinal detachment often notice a scotoma in the portion of their vision that is affected by the detachment. Retinal detachments are usually progressive—those that affect only a portion of vision will affect more over time. If the macula is detached, central visual acuity will be lost and there is an increased risk of permanent visual loss. Retinal detachments can be treated, depending on the situation, by any or all of the following: (1) injecting an expansile gas bubble into the globe, (2) suturing a silicone band around the eye to support the retina (a scleral buckle), or (3) removing the vitreous (vitrectomy) with laser surgery or cryopexy applied to areas of retinal tears.