Which feature differentiates posterior vitreous detachment from retinal detachment?

Which feature differentiates posterior vitreous detachment from retinal detachment?

• A. Former may precede latter, with floaters but no light flashes or loss of vision.
• B. Retinal detachment typically presents with floaters but no flashes.
• C. PVD causes sudden loss of vision.
• D. RD never has photopsia.

Answer: (A)

Posterior vitreous detachment and retinal detachment share some symptoms (like floaters), but their patterns differ. PVD comes from the vitreous pulling away with age and commonly presents with new floaters; light flashes may occur but there is typically no sudden loss of vision. Retinal detachment, in contrast, is a true emergency that usually causes a sudden, painless loss of vision and may also produce flashes (photopsia) and additional floaters as the retina tears. The key distinguishing feature is that PVD can occur before RD and often causes floaters without immediate vision loss or photopsia, whereas RD tends toward acute vision loss with or without photopsia. If any sudden vision loss occurs, urgent evaluation for RD is essential.

Posterior vitreous detachment and retinal detachment share some symptoms (like floaters), but their patterns differ. PVD comes from the vitreous pulling away with age and commonly presents with new floaters; light flashes may occur but there is typically no sudden loss of vision. Retinal detachment, in contrast, is a true emergency that usually causes a sudden, painless loss of vision and may also produce flashes (photopsia) and additional floaters as the retina tears. The key distinguishing feature is that PVD can occur before RD and often causes floaters without immediate vision loss or photopsia, whereas RD tends toward acute vision loss with or without photopsia. If any sudden vision loss occurs, urgent evaluation for RD is essential.