In reply
I agree with Drs Sebag and Sadun on the importance of early therapeutic intervention in traumatic retinal detachment. They rightly point out that the loss of peripheral visual field in retinal detachment might resolve and some recovery of central vision might also occur following retinal reattachment. Indeed, both clinical observations are consistent with our thesis that apoptosis is 1 of the major pathogenetic mechanisms of photoreceptor cell loss in traumatic retinal detachment.One of the characteristics of the apoptotic process is the scattering of the apoptotic cells in the involved organ in contrast with localized massive destruction of cells in tissue necrosis. In the detached retina, scattered apoptotic photoreceptor cells were noted and if the retina is reattached, the remaining photoreceptor cells would be able to recover their functions and provide vision. It has been noted that after loss of more than half the cone cells in the