Can retinoschisis be treated?
John Campbell
Updated on March 18, 2026
Can retinoschisis be treated?
Retinoschisis usually doesn’t require treatment aside from glasses to improve your vision. However, some children with X-linked retinoschisis may have bleeding in their eye. This can be treated with either laser therapy or cryosurgery. In rare cases, children may need surgery to stop the bleeding.
Can a split retina be fixed?
It can lead to the complete loss of vision, and surgery may be necessary to move the retina back into place. If the detachment is the result of a small tear, a doctor may be able to repair it using laser treatment or cryotherapy.
What is retinal Skesis?
Retinoschisis occurs when a separation (schisis) develops between the two major layers of the retina, creating a blister-like elevation that can be confused with a true retinal detachment.
Can you go blind from retinoschisis?
Signs & Symptoms Retinoschisis is characterized by a reduction in visual acuity. There may also be a loss of peripheral vision. Very few people become totally blind from either form of the disorder, but some men with the juvenile form may ultimately have very poor vision.
Why would retinoschisis affect your vision?
When the retina splits, tiny lumps called cysts form between the layers. These cysts damage nerves and keep light signals from reaching the brain. Damaged nerves can make your vision blurry.
How can you tell the difference between retinal detachment and retinoschisis?
A retinal detachment typically collapses under the area of scleral depression, while a retinoschisis moves in accordance with the area of the retina that is being depressed. Retinoschisis is very clear and transparent, allowing for the choroidal detail below the schisis to be easily seen.
What does retinoschisis look like?
What is foveal Schisis?
Myopic foveoschisis is a relatively rare entity that manifests in patients with pathological myopia. The schisis, or break, in the layers of the retina, occurs because of the increase in the size of the eyeball and a consequent stretching in the layers of the choroid and the retina.
Does retinoschisis cause floaters?
Patients with retinoschisis should be educated about the signs and symptoms of retinal detachment. Patients need to understand that delaying the reporting of the sudden appearance of flashes of light, floaters, sparkles of light, or shadows, can seriously increase the risk of permanent vision decrease or loss.
Is there a cure for retinoschisis?
Bleeding in your eye is treated with a laser or with cold (cryotherapy) to close damaged blood vessels in the retina. Surgery can fix a detached retina. Researchers are testing new treatments for retinoschisis. One of these replaces the damaged gene with a copy of a healthy gene. Stem cell treatments are also being studied.
What is retinoschisis symptoms?
Symptoms of Retinoschisis. The list of signs and symptoms mentioned in various sources for Retinoschisis includes the 12 symptoms listed below: Splitting of the retina. Impaired vision. Hemeralopia. Progressive vision impairment – progresses slowly. Difficulty reading. Macula anomalies – cystic lesion.
What causes a retinal detachment?
Causes. The most common type of retinal detachment is often due to a tear or hole in the retina. Eye fluid may leak through this opening. This causes the retina to separate from the underlying tissues, much like a bubble under wallpaper. This is most often caused by a condition called posterior vitreous detachment.
What is a split retina?
Retinoschisis refers to the separation of the layers of the retina. The retina is the tissue inside the back of the eye that changes what you see into electrical signals that travel to the brain. When the retina splits, tiny lumps called cysts form between the layers. These cysts damage nerves and keep light signals from reaching the brain.