TY - JOUR T1 - REtinal detachment AU - Chang HJ, Lynm C, Golub RM Y1 - 2012/04/04 N1 - 10.1001/jama.2012.320 JO - JAMA SP - 1447 EP - 1447 VL - 307 IS - 13 N2 - The retina is a light-sensitive, transparent tissue located in the back of the eye. Light is focused on the retina by the cornea and the lens. The retina then converts the image into neural impulses and sends them to the brain via the optic nerve (the nerve connecting the eye to the brain). Retinal detachment is the separation of the retina from the tissues underneath it. It is important to distinguish retinal detachment from posterior vitreous detachment (in which the jelly in the eye peels away from the retina), which is a natural aging process that occurs in many people. Every year, about 1 to 2 people per 10 000 develop retinal detachment. Retinal detachment is a medical emergency. The April 4, 2012, issue of JAMA includes an article about the risk of retinal detachment from a type of antibiotic. This Patient Page is based on one previously published in the November 25, 2009, issue of JAMA. SN - 0098-7484 M3 - doi: 10.1001/jama.2012.320 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/jama.2012.320 ER -