Is Retina Disease Treatable Without Surgery?

Light is vital to your vision. Your retina, which is located in the back of your eye, is a key player in converting light into signals that your brain understands. Photoreceptor cells in your retina use the light to form the colors and images that you see all around you.

There are several retina diseases that affect your ability to see things clearly, and they can lead to severe vision loss or blindness if left untreated. Here at Retina Consultants of Muncie in Muncie, Indiana, you can find help from our fellowship-trained retina specialist Dr. Jeffrey Rapkin. 

When it comes to treatment, nonsurgical solutions are always our first choice, but it depends on the severity of your condition and your unique needs. Let’s find out more by looking at the types of retina diseases and the treatment options available.

Types of retina disease

A few of the diseases that can affect your retina and do damage to your sight include:

• Retinal tear or detachment: when the retinal nerves tear or detach from the retina, you may experience floaters, darkened vision, and flashes of light
• Diabetic retinopathy: high blood sugar damages the blood vessels in your retina or causes abnormal vessels to develop, which leads to loss of vision
• Retinal vein occlusion: A clot, slow blood flow, or retinal vein compression cause a total blockage in the blood vessels that drain from your retina
• Central serous retinopathy: a buildup of fluid behind your retina impairs your vision
• Macular hole: a hole that forms in the macula in your retina and impairs central vision
• Macular degeneration: an age-related condition that reduces central vision

Early detection helps improve your outcomes. Seek a diagnosis promptly if you see floaters or flashes of light or if your vision is blurred or distorted.

Treatment options

Dr. Rapkin tailors your treatment to your specific eye issue. In severe cases, surgery may be necessary; however, most retinal diseases respond well to nonsurgical options, such as:

Intravitreal injections

Anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) injections are a common tool to reduce vision loss for wet macular degeneration, and other injections are used to treat advanced diabetic retinopathy, macular edema, eye infections, and inflammatory eye diseases.

Medications

To target specific retinal issues, Dr. Rapkin chooses from a variety of antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral medications.

Cryopexy

To close a retinal tear, Dr. Rapkin recommends cryopexy. After applying numbing medication, he touches the white part of your eye near the tear with a freezing probe that seals it closed.

Laser

To preserve your sight, laser treatments repair retinal tears, prevent retinal detachment, and shrink bleeding vessels.

Pneumatic retinopexy

To repair retinal detachment, Dr. Rapkin injects air or gas into your eye in a procedure called pneumatic retinopexy.

Regular eye appointments optimize your eye health outcomes, so make an appointment for a consultation with Dr. Rapkin at Retina Consultants of Muncie today.