Understanding Retinal Disease
All of the organs in the body are delicate. Most of them, however, are safely tucked away inside of the body, and do not have any nerve endings, so it is impossible to feel when they are injured or hurt. There is one organ, however, that is actually on the outside of your body, and that can be harmed very easily. When this organ gets a disease, the person knows it very quickly. This organ is the eyes. The eyes, as with almost all organs, are extremely important, but this organ actually helps you to get around in the world. Learning how to live without your eyes, when you’ve had them for your entire life, can be extremely difficult, which is why it is so important to contact a professional, such as a doctor who specializes in ophthalmology or a LASIK Surgeon, who knows about retinal disease and what it can do to your body.
The Retina
Fist things first: let’s learn about the retina. Before you can understand how a disease can affect the retina, it is important to learn what the retina actually does. The retina is a complex part of the eye, but one that is extremely important. It is actually light sensitive tissue that resides in the inner surface of the eye. Your eye acts like a large camera. It makes out images through the light that is where you are. The light goes through the iris and cornea and the lens into the retina. When it strikes the retina it then travels through the optic nerve and into the brain, where the images that we look at are transformed into something that our brains can comprehend. The retina is extremely important to the eye, which is why, when you deal with a retinal disease, it can be very easy to lose your eyesight permanently. There are actually a few different types of retinal diseases that people need to be aware of and on the lookout for, such as dry eyes syndrome and macular degeneration.
Macular Degeneration
Macular degeneration is one of the most well-known types of retinal diseases that there is. Macular degeneration is a condition that can easily cause someone (usually an elderly someone) to lose all of their eyesight. Behind the retina is the part that is known as the choroid. This actually supplies blood to the central part of the retina, known as the macula. There are two forms of macular degeneration: dry and wet. In the dry form, a debris actually builds up between the choroid and the retina, which can cause the retina to become detached. With the wet form of macular degeneration, blood vessels actually grow up behind the retina and from the choroid, which can also cause the retina to become detached. The wet form is considered to be the more severe of the two forms of macular degeneration.
Symptoms
In most cases of macular degeneration, the person who has it experiences a slow loss of vision. With both wet macular degeneration and dry macular degeneration, the process can be slow or it can be immediate. Although in age related macular degeneration it is more likely that the symptoms start slowly. Patients who are dealing with macular degeneration may begin to see shadowy areas in the middle of their vision, or they may start to see distorted or fuzzy vision.
The way that many doctors test to see if their patient is dealing with macular degeneration is to do what is known as an Amsler grid. This is a grid that is basically a chart with a number of black lines. The doctor can then show the person the grid and will listen to what the patient tells them that they see. If they see anything other than black lines or small white dots connecting the black lines (an optical illusion), then there is a chance that they may be dealing with age related macular degeneration.
If macular degeneration is suspected, the doctor will then likely order a test known as a fluorescein angiography. This helps the doctor to examine all of the blood vessels that are around the retina and the macula to see if there is anything strange occurring.
What Causes It?
No one is quite sure exactly what causes macular degeneration, but it is known that age often plays a part. Some studies have shown that obesity and inactivity also raises the risk of a patient getting macular degeneration symptoms, while others also show that heredity may have a lot to do with the condition. Hypertension can also cause a person to have the symptoms of macular degeneration as can smoking. There are even some medications that can cause macular degeneration symptoms as a side effect. It’s best to visit a ophthalmologist who specializes in such procedures as LASIK correction.
Treating Macular Degeneration
If macular degeneration is not treated, it can lead to blindness. Unfortunately there is no cure for macular degeneration, and someone who has dry macular degeneration will likely have a much more difficult time getting their macular degeneration symptoms managed. Those who have wet macular degeneration, however, do have a few options available to them when it comes to macular degeneration treatment. The first few rounds of treatment options are mostly medicinal, but others are very similar to cataract lens surgery, retinal detachment surgery, or even a laser corneal transplant.
The most recent drug treatment for wet macular degeneration is Lucentis. This drug works by inhibiting vascular endothelial growth factor proteins, which can stimulate the growth of blood vessels in the body. This can help to prevent new blood vessels from growing in the back of the eye, allowing the condition to be halted in its tracks for awhile.
There is also wet macular degeneration surgery. This surgery is done with a thermal laser that actually treats the blood vessels that have formed on the retina, which can delay the advancement of macular degeneration significantly. This surgery, however, is only good for less than 20% of people who have macular degeneration, which is why most doctors will go for the medications first. Austin, Texas is one of the leading hubs that perform such procedures as glaucoma surgery austin and installing toric lense austin . Texas has a growing community of eye care doctors, it is often best to do your research to find one that suits your needs.
About the Author: Mark Masters has authored may pieces on the eye care & surgery industry and enjoys keeping his readers up to date in this field
