Newswise — ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- A detached retina is a serious eye condition, often related to age, and head coach for the Minnesota Vikings is recovering from emergency surgery after he was recently diagnosed with retinal detachment.

As the eye heals, it may take months for patients to see improvement in vision, says David N. Zacks, M.D., Ph.D., a retina surgeon at the University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center.

“Vision may take many months to improve and in some cases may never fully return,” says Zacks. “Unfortunately, some patients, particularly those with chronic retinal detachment, do not recover any vision. The more severe the detachment, and the longer it has been present, the less vision may be expected to return.”

The condition is often age-related and those with diabetes are at risk. Trauma and nearsightedness can also lead to a detached retina.

The retina normally lies smoothly and firmly after the back of the eyeball. If any part if lifted or pulled away from its normal position it is considered detached.

Zacks is a professor of ophthalmology and one of the nation's best eye specialists.

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