Retinal Detachment in Spanish

What it means

Retinal detachment is an eye problem in which the retina, the light-sensitive layer of tissue in the back of the eye, is lifted or pulled away from its normal position. The retina senses light and sends images to the brain. Symptoms include a sudden increase in floaters (small dark spots or squiggly lines that float across your vision), flashes of light in one or both eyes, and a shadow or "curtain" over the field of vision; there is usually no pain. An eye doctor can check for it with a dilated eye exam. A retinal detachment is a medical emergency: if it is not treated promptly, it can cause permanent vision loss, so anyone with these symptoms should go to an eye doctor or the emergency room right away (in the U.S., call 911 in an emergency).

Spanish term: Desprendimiento de retina
Gender and article: masculine: el desprendimiento de retina
Pronunciation: des-pren-dee-MYEN-toh deh reh-TEE-nah

Other Spanish terms	Where it is used	Note
retina desprendida	General	Listed by the MedlinePlus en español encyclopedia as an alternative name; the English article lists "detached retina" in the same place.

Desprendimiento de retina is the name MedlinePlus en español gives both its health topic page and its encyclopedia article, and it is masculine: el desprendimiento de retina, un pequeño desprendimiento. The encyclopedia lists retina desprendida as an alternative name, where the English article lists "detached retina." The retina itself is feminine: la retina.

The symptom words differ between the two MedlinePlus pages. Floaters are flotadores on the health topic page and moscas volantes in the encyclopedia; flashes are destellos de luz on both, and the shadow over the vision is una cortina. A retinal tear is un desgarro, and severe nearsightedness is miopía grave. For the eye specialist, the pages use oculista, glossed as "médico de los ojos," and oftalmólogo. The Spanish urgency sentence is El desprendimiento de retina es una emergencia médica: with these symptoms, go to an eye doctor or the emergency room right away.

Phrases for an appointment

What a patient or a clinician might say, in English and Spanish:

Who	English	Spanish
Patient	Since this morning I have been seeing a lot of new floaters and flashes of light in my right eye.	Desde esta mañana veo muchas moscas volantes nuevas y destellos de luz en el ojo derecho.
Clinician	Do you see a shadow or a curtain over part of your field of vision?	¿Ve una sombra o una cortina sobre parte de su campo visual?
Patient	Yes, it is like a dark curtain on one side, and it does not hurt.	Sí, es como una cortina oscura a un lado, y no me duele.
Clinician	Have you ever had a retinal detachment, an eye injury or eye surgery?	¿Ha tenido alguna vez un desprendimiento de retina, una lesión en el ojo o una cirugía de los ojos?
Patient	I am very nearsighted, and my mother had a detached retina.	Tengo mucha miopía, y mi madre tuvo un desprendimiento de retina.
Clinician	I am going to put drops in your eyes to dilate your pupils and look at the retina.	Voy a ponerle unas gotas en los ojos para dilatarle las pupilas y examinar la retina.
Clinician	If you suddenly see many more floaters, flashes or a curtain, go to the emergency room right away.	Si de repente ve muchas más moscas volantes, destellos o una cortina, vaya a la sala de emergencias de inmediato.
Patient	Is it a retinal detachment? Will I need surgery?	¿Es un desprendimiento de retina? ¿Voy a necesitar cirugía?

In 9 languages

Language	Term
English	Retinal Detachment
Spanish (Español)	Desprendimiento de retina
Chinese (中文)	視網膜剝離
Korean (한국어)	망막 박리
Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt)	Bong võng mạc
Filipino (Tagalog)	Retinal detachment
Portuguese (Português)	Descolamento de retina
Thai (ภาษาไทย)	จอประสาทตาหลุดลอก
Japanese (日本語)	網膜剥離

Where you'll see it

chartreferralmedical recordEOB

Related ICD-10-CM category

ICD-10-CM code: H33 → Retinal detachments and breaks

Related terms

Your right to an interpreter in the United States

If English is not your primary language and you have difficulty communicating in English, you may need an interpreter or a translated document when you visit a doctor or dentist, go to the emergency room or pick up a prescription. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights states that two federal laws, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, require programs that receive its funding to provide language access services free of charge.

You can ask when you make the appointment or at the front desk: "I need an interpreter, please." «Necesito un intérprete, por favor.»

More terms: Eyes and ears

All terms in this area: Eyes and ears — Ojos y oídos

Sources

This page is a language reference. It is not medical advice.