Below you will find a few clinical conditions that Retina Consultants cares for. If you would like more information regarding any of these conditions please consult your eye doctor or contact Retina Consultants at 765-254-1944
Diabetic Retinopathy
Diabetic retinopathy, the most common diabetic eye disease, occurs when blood vessels in the retina change.
Sometimes these vessels swell and leak fluid or even close off completely. In other cases, abnormal new blood vessels grow on the surface of the retina.
The retina is a thin layer of light-sensitive tissue that lines the back of the eye. Light rays are focused onto the retina, where they are transmitted to the brain and interpreted as the images you see. The macula is a very small area at the center of the retina. It is the macula that is responsible for your pinpoint vision, allowing you to read, sew or recognize a face. The surrounding part of the retina, called the peripheral retina, is responsible for your side—or peripheral—vision.
Diabetic retinopathy usually affects both eyes. People who have diabetic retinopathy often don’t notice changes in their vision in the disease’s early stages. But as it progresses, diabetic retinopathy usually causes vision loss that in many cases cannot be reversed.
Patients with diabetes mellitus can develop serious ocular complications that can affect their vision. Over time, high blood sugar causes damage to the retinal blood vessels. Several complications may develop, including swelling in the central retina and poor blood flow. Other complications of diabetic retinopathy include retinal hemorrhages and cotton wool spots (small white spots in the retina that form because of poor blood flow).
Age-Related Macular Degeneration
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most frequent cause of vision loss among people 50 years and older in the Western world. Many older people are unaware that they have AMD and may not notice that their vision is deteriorating, particularly if only one eye is affected. Other people may fail to report vision loss because they believe it to be an inevitable consequence of aging. If patients with certain types of AMD are to benefit from recent developments in treatment, it is important that the condition be diagnosed as early as possible.
Age-related macular degeneration is a deterioration or breakdown of the eye’s macula. The macula is a small area in the retina — the light-sensitive tissue lining the back of the eye. The macula is the part of the retina that is responsible for your central vision, allowing you to see fine details clearly.
ForeseeHome™ForeseeHome™
If you are at high risk for developing wet AMD, you can now take a proactive approach to your eye health. Frequent monitoring with the ForeseeHome™ AMD Monitoring Program provides a safety net for monitoring changes in your vision between office visits, allowing your doctor to detect and diagnose wet AMD at its earliest stage.
Follow this link to learn more: http://www.foreseehome.com/patients.html
Retinal Detachment
The retina is the nerve layer that lines the back of the eye. If you think of the eye as a camera, the retina is the film in the camera. A clear gel called the vitreous fills up the inside cavity of the eye and is located just in front of the retina. As one ages, the vitreous gel contracts and liquefies. As this occurs, the vitreous gel may sometimes pull a tear in the retina. Fluid from inside the eye can leak through the tear, and the retina can separate from the back wall of the eye, creating a retinal detachment.
It is a serious condition that may lead to blindness if not treated appropriately. Risk factors for retinal detachment include nearsightedness (myopia), history of cataract surgery, family history of retinal detachment, retinal detachment in the other eye, and weak areas in the retina such as lattice degeneration. Symptoms of a retinal detachment include onset of floaters, flashing lights, and a “curtain” or area of darkness that may encroach on vision from the side.
The middle of our eye is filled with a clear gel called vitreous (vi-tree-us) that is attached to the retina. Sometimes tiny clumps of gel or cells inside the vitreous will cast shadows on the retina, and you may sometimes see small dots, specks, strings or clouds moving in your field of vision. These are called floaters. You can often see them when looking at a plain, light background, like a blank wall or blue sky.
As we get older, the vitreous may shrink and pull on the retina. When this happens, you may notice what look like flashing lights, lightning streaks or the sensation of seeing “stars.” These are called flashes.
Retinal Tear and Retinal Detachment
Usually, the vitreous moves away from the retina without causing problems. But sometimes the vitreous pulls hard enough to tear the retina in one or more places. Fluid may pass through a retinal tear, lifting the retina off the back of the eye — much as wallpaper can peel off a wall. When the retina is pulled away from the back of the eye like this, it is called a retinal detachment.
The retina does not work when it is detached and vision becomes blurry. A retinal detachment is a very serious problem that almost always causes blindness unless it is treated with detached retina surgery.
Floaters and Flashes
You may sometimes see small specks or clouds moving in your field of vision. These are called floaters. You can often see them when looking at a plain background, like a blank wall or blue sky. Floaters are actually tiny clumps of cells or material inside the vitreous, the clear, gel-like fluid that fills the inside of your eye.
While these objects look like they are in front of your eye, they are actually floating inside it. What you see are the shadows they cast on the retina, the layer of cells lining the back of the eye that senses light and allows you to see. Floaters can appear as different shapes, such as little dots, circles, lines, clouds or cobwebs. When the vitreous gel pulls on the retina, you may see what look like flashing lights or lightning streaks. These are called flashes. You may have experienced this same sensation if you have ever been hit in the eye and seen “stars.” The flashes of light can appear off and on for several weeks or months. As we grow older, it is more common to experience floaters and flashes as the vitreous gel changes with age, gradually pulling away from the inside surface of the eye.
Glaucoma
Glaucoma is a disease that damages the eye’s optic nerve. The optic nerve is connected to the retina — a layer of light-sensitive tissue lining the back of the eye — and is made up of many nerve fibers, like an electric cable is made up of many wires. It is the optic nerve that sends signals from your retina to your brain, where these signals are interpreted as the images you see.
In the healthy eye, a clear fluid called aqueous (pronounced AY-kwee-us) humor circulates inside the front portion of your eye. To maintain a constant healthy eye pressure, your eye continually produces a small amount of aqueous humor while an equal amount of this fluid flows out of your eye. If you have glaucoma, the aqueous humor does not flow out of the eye properly. Fluid pressure in the eye builds up and, over time, causes damage to the optic nerve fibers. Glaucoma can cause blindness if it is left untreated. Only about half of the estimated three million Americans who have glaucoma are even aware that they have the condition. When glaucoma develops, usually you don’t have any early symptoms and the disease progresses slowly. In this way, glaucoma can steal your sight very gradually. Fortunately, early detection and treatment (with glaucoma eyedrops, glaucoma surgery or both) can help preserve your vision.
How Do I Schedule an Appointment?
Call us to schedule an appointment at (765) 254-1944.
What to Expect on Your First Visit
The patient procedure concerning paperwork and insurance is the same as for your normal eye doctor. At Retina Consultants, the patient’s pupil will be dilated and therefore you will need to arrange for a driver. This is true for all patients at all visits.
ForeseeHome™ForeseeHome™
If you are at high risk for developing wet AMD, you can now take a proactive approach to your eye health. Frequent monitoring with the ForeseeHome™ AMD Monitoring Program provides a safety net for monitoring changes in your vision between office visits, allowing your doctor to detect and diagnose wet AMD at its earliest stage.