The University of Maryland Medical Center defines sudden retinal detachment as the separation of the retina from its supporting layers. The retina is the light-sensitive transparent membrane at the back of the eye where images seen are formed. When there is a tear or a hole in the retina, eye fluids may leak, causing the retina to separate from its underlying tissues. This is called sudden retinal detachment and it leads to a clouding of the interior of the eye. According to the Mayo Clinic, there are several causes of sudden retinal detachment.
Posterior Vitreous Detachment
The Mayo Clinic lists posterior vitreous detachment as one of the major causes of sudden retinal detachment. According to the Royal National Institute of Blind People, or RNIB, posterior vitreous detachment occurs in 75% of the people who are older than age 65. The vitreous is a jelly-like substance behind the eye's lens that changes as a person ages. As one gets older, the central part of the vitreous gradually becomes more and more liquid, causing its outer part, known as the cortex, to detach itself from the retina. This is a sudden retinal detachment.
Sarcoidosis
According to The Mayo Clinic, sarcoidosis is one of the causes of sudden retinal detachment. Medline Plus describes sarcoidosis as an inflammatory disease that affects various body organs, one of which can be the eye. It begins as very tiny lumps called granulomas, which then grow in size causing symptoms that vary depending on the organ that is being affected. If the organ in question is the eye, the vitreous jelly is liquefied causing the retina to suddenly detach itself from the cortex.
Trauma
According to the Mayo Clinic, one of the causes of sudden retinal detachment is trauma to the eye. A trauma to the eye can be caused by a wide variety of accidents such as an object hitting the eye with high pressure. Such a trauma will cause the membranes that hold the retina in place to be ruptured or weakened. This causes the retina to move from its rightful location--in other words, sudden retinal detachment. Most of the patients who go in for a retinal laser surgery will have sudden retinal detachment as one of their biggest worries because an error during the surgery can cause trauma to the retina.
