AIM OSCE / OSPE • MBBS • 4th Year • Eye
Station 16 — Retinal Detachment Recognition
Rapid Revision • Practical Skills • Viva
🎯 Candidate Task
Examine the provided fundus image. Describe the important abnormal retinal findings, identify the most likely diagnosis, and communicate its clinical significance to the examiner.
⚡ Model Station Answer
- The retina appears elevated and detached rather than flat.
- There is a grey-white, corrugated or folded retinal appearance with loss of the normal underlying fundus detail.
- Retinal vessels course over the elevated retina and may appear undulating or out of focus.
- These findings are consistent with retinal detachment.
- This is a sight-threatening cause of visual loss requiring urgent ophthalmic assessment.
🔎 How to Perform / Approach
- Identify the image: Recognize it as a fundus/retinal photograph.
- Assess retinal position: Decide whether the retina appears normally flat or abnormally elevated.
- Look for surface changes: Identify grey-white elevation, folds or corrugations.
- Assess vessels and background: Note vessels passing over the elevated retina and reduced visibility of normal choroidal detail.
- Compare with normal: A normal retina is flat, orange-red and has clearly focused retinal vessels without folds.
- State the conclusion: Clearly identify retinal detachment and mention its importance as a cause of visual loss.
🖼️ Visual Learning
VISUAL 1
Normal Retina vs Retinal Detachment

📝 Important Viva Questions
1. What is the main funduscopic feature of retinal detachment?
Answer: An elevated grey-white retina with folds or corrugations, rather than a normally flat retinal surface.
2. How do retinal vessels appear over a detached retina?
Answer: They course over the elevated retina and may appear undulating, displaced or less sharply focused.
3. How does a normal retina differ from a detached retina?
Answer: A normal retina is flat and orange-red with sharply focused vessels; a detached retina is elevated, pale-grey and folded.
4. Why is retinal detachment clinically important?
Answer: It is a sight-threatening condition that can cause significant or permanent visual loss if not assessed and treated promptly.
5. What symptoms commonly raise suspicion of retinal detachment?
Answer: Sudden flashes, new floaters and a curtain or shadow progressing across the visual field are typical warning symptoms.
