Most of the loss of the retina occur because of one or more small tears or holes in the retina. Sometimes the normal aging process can cause the retina to be thinner and less healthy, but more often result in damage and tear in the retina is the shrinking of the corpus vitreum, clear materials such as jelly that fills the center of the eye. Corpus vitreum is closely attached to the retina at several locations around the back of the eye wall. When the corpus vitreum shrunk, it can withdraw part of the retina with it, causing a tear or hole in the retina. Although some types of shrinkage of the corpus vitreum is a normal thing to happen to the increasing age and usually does not cause damage to the retina, corpus vitreum can also shrink the eyes that grow into very large (sometimes this is a result of nearsightedness), by inflammation, or due to trauma.

In most cases the retina off after a major change in the structure of the corpus vitreum. If the existing retinal tears, watery fluid like water can enter from the corpus vitreum into the hole in the retina and can flow between the retina and the back wall of the eye. This liquid will separate the retina from the back wall of the eye and retina lead off. Retinas part will not function properly and in the area arising blurred vision or blind areas. Note that there is some kind of release of the retina caused by eye diseases, such as tumors, severe inflammation, or as a complication of diabetes. This is called secondary retinal detachments. In this case found no rips or holes in the retina, and retina can only return to a normal position to treat a disease that causes loss of the retina.

Those middle-aged and older sometimes see floating black spots and flashes of light. This situation is usually more rare in children or young adults. In most cases, these complaints do not indicate a serious problem. But in some of the eye spots and flashes of light that appears suddenly may show shrinkage of the corpus vitreum is enough to cause a tear in the retina. To determine whether there is a tear of the retina so the ophthalmologist should examine the inside of the eye and perform a comprehensive eye examination. Such a checking should be performed immediately after the complaint was found, due to new retinal tears that still might be treatable without surgery, and long before he developed into a more powerful off the retina.

Some release of the retina may occur without any black spots or flashes of real ones. In this case the patient may realize their vision as a wavy or watery vision or on the edge there is a black shadow. Developments off the retina that will further blur the central vision and cause severe vision defect in one eye but the loose bilia retina was repaired. There are some retinal detachments that occur suddenly and the patient totally blind in one eye with a suddenly. Rapidly arising visual defects such as these can also be caused by bleeding into the corpus vitreum when retinal tear.