Risk factors for retinal detachment include severe myopia, retinal tears, trauma, family history, as well as complications from cataract surgery.

Retinal detachment can be mitigated in some cases when the warning signs are caught early. The most effective means of prevention and risk reduction is through education of the initial signs, and encouragement for people to seek ophthalmic medical attention if they have symptoms suggestive of a posterior vitreous detachment. Early examination allows detection of retinal tears which can be treated with laser or cryotherapy. This reduces the risk of retinal detachment in those who have tears from around 1:3 to 1:20. For this reason, the governing bodies in some sports require regular eye examination.

Trauma-related cases of retinal detachment can occur in high-impact sports or in high speed sports. Although some recommend avoiding activities that increase pressure in the eye, including diving and skydiving, there is little evidence to support this recommendation, especially in the general population. Nevertheless, ophthalmologists generally advise people with high degrees of myopia to try to avoid exposure to activities that have the potential for trauma, increase pressure on or within the eye itself, or include rapid acceleration and deceleration, such as bungee jumping or roller coaster rides.

Intraocular pressure spikes occur during any activity accompanied by the Valsalva maneuver, including weightlifting. An epidemiological study suggests that heavy manual lifting at work may be associated with increased risk of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment, but this relationship is not strong. In this study, obesity also appeared to increase the risk of retinal detachment. A high Body Mass Index (BMI) and elevated blood pressure have been identified as a risk factor in non-myopic individuals.

Genetic factors promoting local inflammation and photoreceptor degeneration may also be involved in the development of the disease.

Other risk factors include the following:

- Glaucoma

- AIDS

- Cataract surgery

- Diabetic retinopathy

- Eclampsia

- Family history of retinal detachment

- Homocysteinuria

- Malignant hypertension

- Metastatic cancer, which spreads to the eye (eye cancer)

- Retinoblastoma

- Severe myopia

- Smoking and passive smoking

- Stickler syndrome

- Von Hippel-Lindau disease

Scientists are studying different populations and relationships to try to learn more about the disease. They have found associations with different groups but it is not yet clear what the underlying factors are and how they affect different peoples around the world.

- Glaucoma patients. While PEX and glaucoma are believed to be related, there are cases of persons with PEX without glaucoma, and persons with glaucoma without PEX. Generally, a person with PEX is considered as having a risk of developing glaucoma, and vice versa. One study suggested that the PEX was present in 12% of glaucoma patients. Another found that PEX was present in 6% of an "open-angle glaucoma" group. Pseudoexfoliation syndrome is considered to be the most common of identifiable causes of glaucoma. If PEX is diagnosed without glaucoma, there is a high risk of a patient subsequently developing glaucoma.

- Country and region. Prevalence of PEX varies by geography. In Europe, differing levels of PEX were found; 5% in England, 6% in Norway, 4% in Germany, 1% in Greece, and 6% in France. One contrary report suggested that levels of PEX were higher among Greek people. One study of a county in Minnesota found that the prevalence of PEX was 25.9 cases per 100,000 people. It is reportedly high in northern European countries such as Norway, Sweden and Finland, as well as among the Sami people of northern Europe, and high among Arabic populations, but relatively rare among African Americans and Eskimos. In southern Africa, prevalence was found to be 19% of patients in a glaucoma clinic attending to persons of the Bantu tribes.

- Race. It varies considerably according to race.

- Gender. It affects women more than men. One report was that women were three times more likely than men to develop PEX.

- Age. Older persons are more likely to develop PEX. And persons younger than 50 are highly unlikely to have PEX. A study in Norway found that the prevalence of PEX of persons aged 50–59 was 0.4% while it was 7.9% for persons aged 80–89 years. If a person is going to develop PEX, the average age in which this will happen is between 69 and 75 years, according to the Norwegian study. A second corroborating report suggested that it happens primarily to people 70 and older. While older people are more likely to develop PEX, it is not seen as a "normal" part of aging.

- Other diseases. Sometimes PEX is associated with the development of medical problems other than merely glaucoma. There are conflicting reports about whether PEX is associated with problems of the heart or brain; one study suggested no correlations while other studies found statistical links with Alzheimer's disease, senile dementia, cerebral atrophy, chronic cerebral ischemia, stroke, transient ischemic attacks, heart disease, and hearing loss.

Untreated glaucoma leads to total blindness. Surgical treatment is required. Presently-utilized surgical procedures include goniotomy, trabeculotomy, or trabeculectomy.

This ocular pathology was first described by Iwanoff in 1865, and it has been shown to occur in about 7% of the population. It can occur more frequently in the older population with postmortem studies showing it in 2% of those aged 50 years and 20% in those aged 75 years.

In the United States, the incidence of primary congenital glaucoma is about one in 10,000 live births. Worldwide, the incidence ranges from a low of 1:22,000 in Northern Ireland to a high of 1:2,500 in Saudi Arabia and 1:1,250 in Romania. In about two-thirds of cases, it is bilateral. The distribution between males and females varies with geography. In North America and Europe it is more common in boys, whereas in Japan it is more common in girls.

- Congenital glaucoma

- Incidence: one in every 10000-15000 live births.

- Bilateral in up to 80% of cases.

- Most cases are sporadic (90%). However, in the remaining 10% there appears to be a strong familial component.

The cause of pseudoexfoliation glaucoma is generally unknown.

PEX is generally believed to be a systemic disorder, possibly of the basement membrane of the eye. Researchers have noticed deposits of PEX material in various parts of the body, including in the skin, heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, and elsewhere. Nevertheless, what is puzzling is that PEX tends to happen in only one eye first, which scientists call "unilaterality", and in some cases, gradually afflicts the other eye, which is termed "bilaterality". According to this reasoning, if PEX were a systemic disorder, then both eyes should be affected at the same time, but they are not. There are contrasting reports about the extent and speed with which PEX moves from one eye to both eyes. According to one report, PEX develops in the second eye in 40% of cases. A contrasting report was that PEX can be found in both eyes in almost all situations if an electron microscope is used to examine the second eye, or if a biopsy of the conjunctiva was done, but that the extent of PEX is the second eye was much less than the first one. A different report suggested that two thirds of PEX patients had flakes in only one eye. In one long term study, patients with PEX in only one eye were studied, and it was found that over time, 13% progressed to having both eyes afflicted by PEX. Scientists believe that elevated levels of plasma homocysteine are a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, and two studies have found higher levels of plasma homocysteine in PEX patients, or elevated homocysteine concentrations in tear fluids produced by the eye.

There is speculation that PEX may be caused by oxidative damage and the presence of "free radicals", although the exact nature of how this might happen is still under study. Studies of PEX patients have found a decrease in the concentrations of ascorbic acid, increase in concentrations of malondialdehyde, and an increase in concentrations of 8-iso-prostaglandinF2a.

There is speculation that genetics may play a role in PEX. A predisposition to develop PEX later in life may be an inherited characteristic, according to one account. One report suggested the genetic component was "strong". One study performed in Iceland and Sweden has associated PEX with polymorphisms in gene LOXL1. A report suggested that a specific gene named LOXL1 which was a member of the family of enzymes which play a role in the linking of collagen and elastin inside cells. LOXL1 was responsible for "all the heritability" of PEX, according to one source. Two distinct mutations in which a single nucleotide was changed, or called a "single nucleotide polymorphism" or SNP, was discovered in Scandinavian populations and confirmed in other populations, and may be involved with the onset of PEX.

Researchers are investigating whether factors such as exposure to ultraviolet light, living in northern latitudes, or altitude influence the onset of PEX. One report suggested that climate was not a factor related to PEX. Another report suggested a possible link to sunlight as well as a possible autoimmune response, or possibly a virus.

There is no good evidence for any preventive actions, since it appears this is a natural response to aging changes in the vitreous. Posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) has been estimated to occur in over 75 per cent of the population over age 65, that PVD is essentially a harmless condition (although with some disturbing symptoms), and that it does not normally threaten sight. However, since epiretinal membrane appears to be a protective response to PVD, where inflammation, exudative fluid, and scar tissue is formed, it is possible that NSAIDs may reduce the inflammation response. Usually there are flashing light experiences and the emergence of floaters in the eye that herald changes in the vitreous before the epiretinal membrane forms g

Many people of East Asian descent are prone to developing angle closure glaucoma due to shallower anterior chamber depths, with the majority of cases of glaucoma in this population consisting of some form of angle closure. Higher rates of glaucoma have also been reported for Inuit populations, compared to white populations, in Canada and Greenland.

No clear evidence indicates vitamin deficiencies cause glaucoma in humans. It follows, then, that oral vitamin supplementation is not a recommended treatment for glaucoma. Caffeine increases intraocular pressure in those with glaucoma, but does not appear to affect normal individuals.

The incidence of retinal detachment in otherwise normal eyes is around 5 new cases in 100,000 persons per year. Detachment is more frequent in middle-aged or elderly populations, with rates of around 20 in 100,000 per year. The lifetime risk in normal individuals is about 1 in 300. Asymptomatic retinal breaks are present in about 6% of eyes in both clinical and autopsy studies.

- Retinal detachment is more common in people with severe myopia (above 5–6 diopters), in whom the retina is more thinly stretched. In such patients, lifetime risk rises to 1 in 20. About two-thirds of cases of retinal detachment occur in myopics. Myopic retinal detachment patients tend to be younger than non-myopic ones.

- Retinal detachment is more frequent after surgery for cataracts. The estimated long-term prevalence of retinal detachment after cataract surgery is in the range of 5 to 16 per 1000 cataract operations, but is much higher in patients who are highly myopic, with a prevalence of up to 7% being reported in one study. One study found that the probability of experiencing retinal detachment within 10 years of cataract surgery may be about 5 times higher than in the absence of treatment.

- Tractional retinal detachments can also occur in patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy or those with proliferative retinopathy of sickle cell disease. In proliferative retinopathy, abnormal blood vessels (neovascularization) grow within the retina and extend into the vitreous. In advanced disease, the vessels can pull the retina away from the back wall of the eye, leading to tractional retinal detachment.

Although retinal detachment usually occurs in just one eye, there is a 15% chance of it developing in the other eye, and this risk increases to 25–30% in patients who have had a retinal detachment and cataracts extracted from both eyes.

The disease is chronic and often progresses slowly. Prognosis is generally poor when associated with glaucoma [1,2].

Terrier breeds are predisposed to lens luxation, and it is probably inherited in the Sealyham Terrier, Jack Russell Terrier, Wirehaired Fox Terrier, Rat Terrier, Teddy Roosevelt Terrier, Tibetan Terrier, Miniature Bull Terrier, Shar Pei, and Border Collie. The mode of inheritance in the Tibetan Terrier and Shar Pei is likely autosomal recessive. Labrador Retrievers and Australian Cattle Dogs are also predisposed.

The pressure within the eye is maintained by the balance between the fluid that enters the eye through the ciliary body and the fluid that exits the eye through the trabecular meshwork.

Some pedigrees suggest inherited primary congenital is autosomal dominant but three major autosomal recessive loci have been identified:

- GLC3A – on chromosome 2 (2p21)

- GLC3B – on chromosome 1 (1p36)

- GLC3C – on chromosome 14 (14q24.3)

Buphthalmos (plural: buphthalmoses) is enlargement of the eyeball and is most commonly seen in infants and young children. It is sometimes referred to as buphthalmia (plural buphthalmias). It usually appears in the newborn period or the first 3 months of life. and in most cases indicates the presence of congenital (infantile) glaucoma, which is a disorder in which elevated pressures within the eye lead to structural eye damage and vision loss.

With posterior lens luxation, the lens falls back into the vitreous humour and lies on the floor of the eye. This type causes fewer problems than anterior lens luxation, although glaucoma or ocular inflammation may occur. Surgery is used to treat dogs with significant symptoms. Removal of the lens before it moves to the anterior chamber may prevent secondary glaucoma.

In many patients, normal tension glaucoma is common in individuals with a generalized reduced perfusion of organs and certain body tissues. A low blood pressure - whether consistently low or with sudden pressure drops - is associated with NTG as are conditions like Flammer syndrome and obstructive sleep apnea. Flammer syndrome has been attributed to increase the likelihood of ganglion cell damage in normal tension glaucoma patients with disc hemorrhages as a characteristic clinical sign. Besides race (Japanese) and low blood pressure, the female gender is also a risk factor.

A recent study estimated that from 2002-2003 there were 27,152 injuries in the United States related to the wearing of eyeglasses. The same study concluded that sports-related injuries due to eyeglasses wear were more common in those under the age of 18 and that fall-related injuries due to eyeglasses wear were more common in those aged 65 or more. Although eyeglasses-related injuries do occur, prescription eyeglasses and non-prescription sunglasses have been found to "offer measurable protection which results in a lower incidence of severe eye injuries to those wearing [them]".

In India study conducted by Dr.Shukla, injuries are found more in n males(81%).This is true for both rural and urban population but in 0-10 age group, the difference between males and females is less.Females account for 28% injuries in this age group.However, in sedentary workers, farmers, labourers and industrial workers the male % is as high as 95%.Chemical injuries are the comments cause of bilateral injuries in the eye .

Over many years, glaucoma has been defined by an intraocular pressure of more than 20 or 20 mm Hg. Incompatible with this (now obsolete) definition of glaucoma was the ever larger number of cases that have been reported in medical literature in the 1980s and 1990s who had the typical signs of glaucomatous damage, like optic nerve head excavation and thinning of the retinal nerve fiber layer, while these patients had an IOP that would generally have been regarded as "normal". It is now widely estimated that a larger percentage of patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) are suffering from normal tension glaucoma: probably half of all POAG patients in Europe and the majority of POAG patients in East Asia. Among Americans of Japanese descent, for instance, the prevalence of NTG is about four times as high as the prevalence of the "classical glaucoma" with an IOP of 22 mm Hg and higher. The pillar of the current understanding of normal tension glaucoma is a reduced IOP tolerance of the retinal ganglion cells and the cells in the optic nerve head - an IOP of, for example, 17 or 19 mm Hg that would not affect a healthy eye leads to damage in the eye of an NTG patient.

Pigment dispersion syndrome (PDS) is an affliction of the eye that can lead to a form of glaucoma known as pigmentary glaucoma. It takes place when pigment cells slough off from the back of the iris and float around in the aqueous humor. Over time, these pigment cells can accumulate in the anterior chamber in such a way that it can begin to clog the trabecular meshwork (the major site of aqueous humour drainage), which can in turn prevent the aqueous humour from draining and therefore increases the pressure inside the eye. With PDS, the intraocular pressure tends to spike at times and then can return to normal. Exercise has been shown to contribute to spikes in pressure as well. When the pressure is great enough to cause damage to the optic nerve, this is called pigmentary glaucoma. As with all types of glaucoma, when damage happens to the optic nerve fibers, the vision loss that occurs is irreversible and painless.

This condition is rare, but occurs most often in Caucasians, particularly men, and the age of onset is relatively low: mid 20s to 40s. As the crystalline lens hardens with age, the lens zonules pull away from the iris and the syndrome lessens and stops. Most sufferers are nearsighted.

There is no cure yet, but pigmentary glaucoma can be managed with eye drops or treated with simple surgeries. One of the surgeries is the YAG laser procedure in which a laser is used to break up the pigment clogs, and reduce pressure. If caught early and treated, chances of glaucoma are greatly reduced. Sufferers are often advised not to engage in high-impact sports such as long-distance running or martial arts, as strong impacts can cause more pigment cells to slough off.

A 2016 Cochrane Review sought to determine the effectiveness of YAG laser iridotomy versus no laser iridotomy for pigment dispersion syndrome and pigmentary glaucoma, in 195 participants, across five studies. No clear benefits in preventing loss of visual field were found for eyes treated with peripheral laser iridotomy. There was weak evidence suggesting that laser iridotomy could be more effective in lowering intraocular pressure in eyes versus no treatment.

Iridocorneal Endothelial (ICE) syndromes are a spectrum of diseases characteriezed by slowly progressive abnormalities of the corneal endothelium and features including corneal edema, iris distortion, and secondary angle-closure glaucoma. [1,2,4] ICE syndromes are predominantly unilateral and nonhereditary [1,2,4]. The condition occurs in predominantly middle-aged women [1,3,4].

Ocular hypertension is the presence of elevated fluid pressure inside the eye (intraocular pressure), usually with no optic nerve damage or visual field loss.

For most individuals, the normal range of introcular pressure is between 10 mmHg and 21 mmHg. Elevated intraocular pressure is an important risk factor for glaucoma. The Ocular Hypertension Treatment Study, a large, multicentered, randomized clinical trial, determined that topical ocular hypotensive medication delays or prevents the onset of Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma. Accordingly, most individuals with consistently elevated intraocular pressures of greater than 21mmHg, particularly if they have other risk factors, are treated in an effort to prevent vision loss from glaucoma.

Multiple complications are known to occur following eye injury: corneal scarring, hyphema, iridodialysis, post-traumatic glaucoma, uveitis cataract, vitreous hemorrhage and retinal detachment. The complications risk is high with retinal tears, penetrating injuries and severe blunt trauma.

Intraoperative floppy iris syndrome (IFIS) is a complication that may occur during cataract extraction in certain patients. This syndrome is characterized by a flaccid iris which billows in response to ordinary intraocular fluid currents, a propensity for this floppy iris to prolapse towards the area of cataract extraction during surgery, and progressive intraoperative pupil constriction despite standard procedures to prevent this.

IFIS has been associated with tamsulosin (e.g., Flomax), a medication widely prescribed for urinary symptoms associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Tamsulosin is a selective alpha blocker that works by relaxing the bladder and prostatic smooth muscle. As such, it also relaxes the iris dilator muscle by binding to its postsynaptic nerve endings. Even if a patient has only taken tamsulosin once in their life, that dose is enough to cause IFIS during cataract extraction indefinitely. Various alpha-blockers are associated with IFIS, but tamsulosin has a stronger association than the others.

A joint statement of two ophthalmologic societies states that "the other major class of drugs to treat BPH — 5-alpha reductase inhibitors — do not appear to cause IFIS to any significant degree." 5-ARIs include finasteride, a medication typically used as first line therapy for BPH and androgenic alopecia. The medication is also associated with cataract formation.

IFIS may also be associated with other causes of small pupil like synechiae, pseudoexfoliation and other medications (used for conditions such as glaucoma, diabetes and high blood pressure). IFIS does not usually cause significant changes in postoperative outcomes. Patients may experience more pain, a longer recovery period, and less improvement in visual acuity than a patient with an uncomplicated cataract removal.

The severity of the condition is not linked to the duration of tamsulosin intake.

While the vast majority of hyphemas resolve on their own without issue, sometimes complications occur. Traumatic hyphema may lead to increased intraocular pressure, peripheral anterior synechiae, atrophy of the optic nerve, staining of the cornea with blood, re-bleeding, and impaired accommodation.

Secondary hemorrhage, or rebleeding of the hyphema, is thought to worsen outcomes in terms of visual function. Rebleeding occurs in 4-35% of hyphema cases and is a risk factor for glaucoma.