What We Treat
Our practice is limited to disease of the retina and vitreous. These diseases are many and varied. Below we briefly outline some of the more common problems.
Vitreous Separation Diabetic Retinopathy Retinal Tear Macular Degeneration Retinal Detachment Macular Hole Proliferative Vitreoretinopathy Macular Pucker or Epiretinal Membranes Some Common Disorders of the Retina and Vitreous
With age, or with certain diseases of the eye, the vitreous material begins to contract. When it does so it starts to pull away from the back wall of the eye, the retina. In doing so certain particles or "floaters" become visible. These can be rather annoying at first, but in and of themselves, they are not harmful. While these don’t actually go away, most people become used to them, and they are usually not very bothersome after a few months.
However, when the vitreous separates, sometimes the vitreous can have an abnormal attachment to the retina, and can pull on the retina. This can cause a retinal tear, a condition which may threaten sight.
If when the vitreous separates it pulls very strongly against one area of the retina, the retina may tear. This may cause the patient to experience floaters and flashing lights. If the tear takes place across a blood vessel, bleeding within the vitreous may occur causing even more floaters, spots and "cobwebs." A retinal tear can lead to the development of a retinal detachment. Retinal tears which cause symptoms should be treated to decrease the chance a retinal detachment will develop.
If a retinal tear develops fluid may get under the retina, the inner back wall of the eye. Think of the retina as a thin layer of tissue on the inner back wall of the eye, much like wallpaper is a layer on a wall. Once fluid gets under it, the retina comes loose from the back wall, and it is called a retinal detachment. At this point patients experience a shadow coming over their vision. This is a potentially blinding condition, but fortunately can be treated in most patients. In certain diseases the retina can pull away from the back wall of the eye without a retinal tear as the cause. Usually these conditions can be treated also.
Proliferative Vitreoretinopathy (PVR)
PVR occurs after when scar tissue forms on the retina. The scar tissue pulls on the retina, causing it to pucker into stiff folds and detach from the back wall of the eye. This results in a complicated retinal detachment that may require more extensive surgery.
