Detachment of the retina is a severe blinding disorder affecting almost 6000 new patients per year in the UK. In contrast to most other retinal disorders, blindness through retinal detachment is in most cases potentially avoidable and preventable if patients at risk could be identified.

Although popular in the public perception, trauma accounts for only a very small minority of cases. There have been no recent or large-scale studies to investigate the genetic risk factors despite the fact that it is clear that genetic influences play an important role, Stickler syndrome being the commonest inherited cause of retinal detachment in children. This research project aims to identify the genes associated with retinal detachment so that effective strategies for prevention and counselling can be developed.