Overview
You need an eye exam to diagnose retinal detachment. Your eye care provider will use a dilated eye exam to check your retina. They’ll put eye drops in your eyes. The drops dilate, or widen, the pupil. After a few minutes, your provider can get a close look at the retina.
Your provider may recommend other tests after the dilated eye exam. These tests are noninvasive. They won’t hurt. They help your provider see your retina clearly and in more detail:
- Optical coherence tomography (OCT): Most often, you’ll get dilating eye drops for this imaging. Then you sit in front of the OCT machine. You rest your head on a support so it stays still. The machine scans your eye but doesn’t touch it.
- Fundus imaging: Your provider may take wide-angle images of your retina. Your provider usually dilates your eyes for this test.
- Eye (ocular) ultrasound: You won’t need dilating drops for this scan, but your provider may use drops to numb your eyes so you won’t feel any discomfort. You sit in a chair and rest your head on a support, so it stays still. Your provider gently places an instrument against the front of your eye to scan it. Next, you sit with your eyes closed. Your provider puts gel on your eyelids. With your eyes closed, you move your eyeballs as your doctor scans them with the same instrument.
- Computed tomography (CT scan): This imaging test combines X-rays with a computer and is usually used if there’s a history of trauma or possible penetrating eye injury.
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Symptoms
When to see a doctor
Complications
Blood clots are a dangerous complication of atrial fibrillation (AFib). Blood clots can lead to stroke.
The risk of stroke from AFib increases as you grow older. Other health conditions also may increase the risk of a stroke due to AFib. These conditions include:
- High blood pressure.
- Diabetes.
- Heart failure.
- Some types of heart valve disease.
Blood thinners are commonly prescribed to prevent blood clots and strokes in people with atrial fibrillation.
Prevention
Healthy lifestyle choices can reduce the risk of heart disease and may prevent atrial fibrillation (AFib). Here are some basic heart-healthy tips:
- Control high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.
- Don't smoke or use tobacco.
- Eat a diet that's low in salt and saturated fat.
- Exercise at least 30 minutes a day on most days of the week unless your health care team says not to.
- Get good sleep. Adults should aim for 7 to 9 hours daily.
- Maintain a healthy weight.
- Reduce and manage stress.
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