Meeting Your Retinal Care Needs

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Meeting Your Retinal Care Needs
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Synopsis

1. Take care of your eyes and they will last forever
2. When our general health affects our eyes
3. Ophthalmology Examinations are Important

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Take care of your eyes and they will last forever

• Visiting an eye surgeon for the first time can be
  an eerie experience. After all, we see with our
  eyes and they have always performed correctly,
  until now! Suddenly, we seem to be seeing
  floating spots in the eyes, flashes of light
  occur sometimes and our vision is blurred on
  occasions. These are all early warning symptoms
  of a partially detached retina in the eye. Very
  often age related, retinal detachment can occur
  at any time and needs immediate attention or you
  can lose your sight permanently. Luckily for us
  there are doctors and specialists called
  Ophthalmic Surgeons. They can diagnose when a
  retina, which has pulled away from the soft
  tissue behind the eye, needs attention and
  luckily again, this procedure is carried out on a
  daily basis all over the world.
• You can succumb to retinal detachment after
  cataract surgery although this is not always the
  case. Eye damage can occur and can be caused by
  accidents, damaging fluids entering the eye or
  simply age related. If a retina becomes partially
  detached or torn then a visit to the eye doctor
  will probably rectify the problem. Today, the eye
  doctor or ophthalmologist can re-attach the
  retina with a laser which is a heat process
  bonding the torn retina back to the lens or
  cryopexy, freezing surgery and another bonding
  technique. Yes, it can be that simple however, in
  more serious cases where the retina may become
  completely detached you will need comprehensive
  eye surgery.

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Take care of your eyes and they will last forever

• The bonding or sealing a tear or partially
  detached retina can be bonded, often with a band
  of clear silicone which seals the tear and
  remains in the eye. Near sighted persons are more
  prone to a torn or partially detached retina.
  Also, high blood pressure or diabetes is a common
  cause. To repair a detached retina, they call the
  procedure pneumatic retinopexy. This surgery has
  to be performed with precision as the retina is a
  part of the eye that sends messages through to
  the optic nerve and on to the brain. If this is
  not operating correctly we cannot see. Usually a
  gas bubble is injected into the eye which pushes
  the retina back into place. A laser or cryopexy
  procedure is then used to bond it in place, a
  similar process to the torn retina. It is so
  important to have the eyes checked once a year as
  early problems can be detected and the risk of
  losing one's sight is therefore, minimized.

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When our general health affects our eyes

• New blood vessels appear on the surface of the
  retina and can cause scarring resulting cell loss
  of the retina. There are different types of
  retinopathy, mild, moderate and severe,
  non-proliferative retinopathy. Proliferative
  diabetic retinopathy or PDR as it is known is the
  worst type. Blood vessels migrate along the
  inside of the retina and into the vitreous gel
  which as we know is the fluid which fills the
  eye. These new blood vessels are vey weak and can
  burst easily causing scarring and even retinal
  detachment and possible permanent vision loss.
• People at risk are usually those who have type 1
  or 2 diabetes for a prolonged period. At risk
  particularly are women who are pregnant as they
  are more prone to the rapid onset of diabetic
  retinopathy. The early stages of detection are
  similar to retinal detachment, i.e. floating
  spots in the eyes. These can clear but you need
  to consult with a specialist. It is advisable to
  consult with a specialist or optometrist annually
  as they can pick up early stages of retinal
  detachment by photographing the eye. Also,
  additional blood vessels can be clearly seen on
  the camera screen.

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When our general health affects our eyes

• There is a region of the retina called the macula
  and a build up of fluid will sometimes occur and
  which can be clearly seen by this test (photo).
  Today, a normal optometrist will insert drops
  into the eye which dilate the pupil in order for
  them to see the retina and optic nerve and
  examine them for any problems. They also measure
  the pressure in the eye (Tonometry) even for a
  simple spectacle eye test. Any change in the
  blood vessels or leaking fluid can be clearly
  seen. The macula might be swollen and any changes
  to the retina can be observed.
• How can we prevent this occurrence? Simply by
  having our eyes tested at least once a year. If
  diabetic retinopathy is diagnosed in time about
  95 of treatments are successful. Anybody with
  diabetes should really have a dilated eye
  examination at least once a year if not more
  frequently, depending on the severity of the
  diabetes. There are some early treatments such as
  a course of Anti-VEGF Injections. These
  injections block a protein called endothelial
  growth factor. These injections block the growth
  of the blood vessels which grow as explained and
  reverse their growth thus blocking their ability
  to grow inside the retina. Focal Grid laser
  surgery is also available in which the eye is
  subjected to tiny bursts of laser therapy
  destroying these additional blood vessels.

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Ophthalmology Examinations are Important

• Many things affect the eyes including illness,
  medicines such as antibiotics etc. it is
  noticeable that after a severe cold or bronchitis
  where antibiotics are prescribe, our eyes feel
  tired and or sore. This is usually a temporary
  phenomenon but can be seen by an optician. It is,
  therefore, no use going for an eye check-up while
  the symptoms persist. At least a gap of three (3)
  weeks should be all owed before you have a
  prescription for spectacles made.
• The Ophthalmologist (eye care doctor) is in
  practice to specifically examine all aspects of
  the eye whilst the retina specialist would
  diagnose any disease, including vitreous disease
  with a detailed eye examination. Another aspect
  of the eye care doctor or ophthalmologist is to
  check for cataracts in the eye, basically a
  clumping of protein which can become larger over
  time. The older we get more often than not, a
  clouding of the lens takes place, these are known
  as cataracts. They can affect the picture
  presented to the back of the eye and if advanced,
  will make the picture received by the retina
  somewhat less sharp. There is a twofold problem
  with cataracts. Whilst as explained, the cloudier
  the lens becomes, the less light is received by
  the retina and therefore we cannot see so well.
  Also, images become blurry and bright lights such
  as car headlights when driving at night seem
  starry and dazzle the eye. Similarly, the sun may
  seem too bright and in some cases, you may see
  double vision.

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Thank You

• For more details, please visit
• http//www.retinacareflorida.com/