Retina

The retina is an integral part of the eye. It receives the images we see and transmits them to the brain. Damage to the retina can result in severe loss of vision. Disorders related to the retina include macular degeneration, retinal detachment, flashes and floaters, diabetic or hypertensive retinopathy and torn retinas. Laser treatments or surgery may be required to treat these retinal disorders. With our premier retina care services, patients from as far as Danbury, CT to receive treatments from our team of ophthalmologists.

Macular Degeneration

Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) affects the macula which is the central part of the retina. It is unclear what causes macular degeneration, however, in this disease, the macular tissue deteriorates and/or abnormal blood vessels develop in the macula. Eventually, these changes lead to blurred or distorted vision. Although macular degeneration is incurable, the disease can be managed today more successfully than ever before with lasers, injections of medicine into the eye, surgery or low vision aids. 

There are two different types of macular degeneration, wet and dry.

• Wet Macular Degeneration occurs when blood vessels grow from underneath your macular, leaking blood and fluid into the retina. This eventually forms a scar that leads to permanent central vision loss.

• Dry Macular Degeneration is when yellow deposits called drusen form in the macula. They eventually grow in size and number and can distorter dim your vision. Over time, the light-sensitive cells in the macula thin and die which can lead to blind spots or complete loss in central vision.

Those who suffer from dry macular degeneration can eventually have wet form, it’s recommended to carefully monitor your eyesight as well as have routine eye exams.

Diabetic Retinopathy

Diabetes can severely damage the retina. Bleeding in the retina and swelling of the retina from diabetes can both cause significantly reduced vision by damaging retina tissue.

Symptoms of diabetic retinopathy range from mild, blurred vision to complete vision loss. Effective treatment for diabetic retinopathy depends upon the progression of the disease and ranges from improved blood sugar control to laser treatments and surgery.

Retinal Detachment

Retinal Detachment occurs when the retina splits from the back of the eye because of injury, infection, inflammation or other causes. It’s important to look for symptoms in Retinal Detachment as it’s utterly painless when it happens. Patients who suffer from symptoms such as sudden flashes of light, floating spots in the vision, or hazy vision, may be having a retinal detachment and must immediately visit an ophthalmologist for treatment to prevent permanent vision loss. The range of treatment options, including laser surgery or insertion of devices to hold the retina in place, is dependent on the degree of detachment suffered.

There are three main types of Retinal Detachment

• Rhegmatogenous: The most common kind of retina detachment, usually caused by ages. Can also occur from injury, surgery or nearsightedness.

• Tractional: Caused from diabetes damaging the blood vessels in the back of the eye

• Exudative: Occurs when the fluid builds up behind the retina and pushes the retina away from the tissue behind it. This can be caused by injury, inflammation, or age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

If you are concerned about your risk for Retinal disorders, call or schedule an appointment with Hudson Valley Eye Surgeons today!