Dialysis of the Eye?

There are certain types of tears of the eye for which the term used is “dialysis,” such as retinal dialysis and iridodialysis. These terms are not really related to the bloodstream or the kidney.

The Greek word “dialysis” means something akin to separating. When there is a tear in the edge of a tissue, it almost seems as though it is separating from what it was previously attached to.

Therefore, tears in the edges of tissues, like tears at the edge of the retina or the edge of the iris, are sometimes referred to using the term “dialysis.”