The thin, deepest layer of nerve cells that lines the back of the eye is called the retina. The retina's job is to transform light into neural signals that are then transmitted to the brain for visual recognition. The retina is a crucial organ, and if retinal diseases are not treated promptly, they can seriously impair vision and result in blindness.
The light-sensitive tissue lining the inner wall at the back of the eye known as the retina suffers nerve and blood vessel damage as a result of the diabetes mellitus condition known as diabetic retinopathy.
It can be challenging for someone to recognise the condition's early signs. However, when it worsens, symptoms like the following will start to appear:
Treatment options for diabetic retinopathy include vitrectomy, intravitreal injections, and laser photocoagulation.
Laser photocoagulation is one of the therapeutic options for diabetic retinopathy. It is a treatment that eliminates the retinal tissue that is oxygen-deprived. Therefore, the goal of laser photocoagulation in the therapy of diabetic retinopathy is to stop the creation of VEGF (Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor) and lessen the likelihood of the emergence of aberrant new capillaries. This traditional method of treating diabetic retinopathy typically involves several sessions. Depending on the patient's diabetic condition, this treatment may need to be repeated after three to four months until it becomes totally successful. Thus, laser photocoagulation in diabetic retinopathy stabilises the condition and protects these patients' vision.
Treatment for diabetic retinopathy also makes use of intravitreal injections. An exact dosage of medication is injected into the eyes during this procedure. When patients experience swelling in the macula, they receive these injections (central area of the retina responsible for focused vision). Intravitreal injections help the patient see better by reducing central macular edoema. Every time the edoema worsens, more than one dose of these injections are needed. To prevent excessive bleeding, intravitreal injections are also given just before retinal surgery.
Advanced vitreoretinal microsurgery surgical is another component of the treatment for diabetic retinopathy. These operations are necessary in severe diabetic retinopathy situations that have significant retinal impairment and are frequently accompanied by internal haemorrhage. In situations of diabetic retinal detachment, vitrectomy or vitreoretinal surgery tries to fix the retina and remove the abnormal amount of blood that has accumulated in the eyes as well as the scar tissues covering it. Our retina specialists perform vitrectomy (Vitreoretinal Surgery) on patients with diabetic retinopathy by making a tiny incision in the patient's eye and performing the procedure with tiny instruments using powerful ophthalmic viewing microscopes. Sedation is used during vitreoretinal surgery so the patient doesn't experience any pain.
The retina separates from the layer of blood vessels beneath it that supplies it with nutrition and oxygen. When there is a retinal detachment, the retina is broken, allowing eye fluid to pass behind it. Retinal detachment causes a partial blackout of vision in the affected eye, starting out as a curtain covering a portion of the field of view. A retinal detachment, commonly referred to as a detached retina, can cause permanent visual loss if left untreated.
A condition known as macular degeneration causes the macula, the centre of the retina, to begin to degrade. Since the macula is so important to vision, vision impairment is a direct result of macula damage. A common name for it is age-related macular degeneration because it gets worse as the sufferer gets older. After the age of 65, it becomes extremely prevalent.
Treatment for age-related macular degeneration may delay or stop the gradual loss of vision, but it may not restore lost eyesight. Anti-VEGF injections, PDT and Laser therapy, combination therapy, and low vision aids are all part of the ARMD treatment programme.
1. What are the risk factors for retinal diseases?
Ageing, smoking, diabetes, hypertension, eye trauma, obesity, and a family history of retinal diseases are all risk factors for retinal problems.
2. Other Risk factors related to retinal detachment
Other risk factors for retinal detachment include family history, one eye's retinal detachment, and diabetes.
© Copyright 2023 Santhosh Eye Hospital.
