Coastal Eye Institute offers exceptional Retina care for the health of their patient’s eyes. If your eye doctor has referred you to a Retina specialist, you should partner with a specialist to preserve your vision.
If you have recently developed new floaters or flashes or a shadow blocking your peripheral vision, an eye exam is necessary to check for a retinal tear or a detachment. It’s essential that you have an exam performed promptly.
The floaters can appear as dots or squiggles. When the vitreous pulls or tugs on the retina, one may see lightning flashes as well. The pull of the vitreous can sometimes cause holes in the retina which can lead to a retinal detachment. If a retinal detachment has occurred, retinal surgery is needed to reduce the risk of vision loss.
A macular hole is a full-thickness retinal, circular defect that occurs in the middle of the macula. A “side view” of a macular hole has a very similar appearance to a volcano. The crater of the volcano represents the actual macular hole, whereas the sides of the volcano represent a tiny area of retina that is detached off the back wall of the eye. Although this retinal detachment does not get larger, it does occur in a very critical part of the retina and this results in a significantly more pronounced loss of vision than if the macular hole occurred alone.
Most often, macular holes occur in the elderly when the vitreous gel within the eye pulls on the thin tissue of the macula until it tears. The torn area gradually enlarges and becomes a round hole. Other, less common causes of macular holes can include trauma and long-term swelling of the macula.
Your Lakewood Ranch Retina specialist can schedule an evaluation at Coastal Eye to determine what treatments are available to you if you are experiencing retinal problems.
Branch retinal vein occlusion occurs when one of the veins of the retina becomes occluded (or blocked). Arteries bring blood to your eye and veins drain blood away from your eye. When a retinal vein is occluded, blood is able to enter the eye, but has difficulty exiting. This causes an increase in pressure in the capillaries, which are the very small blood vessels between the retinal arteries and occluded vein. As a result of this increased pressure, these capillaries may rupture and cause retinal bleeding.
Other capillaries may just become very sick and die or allow a clear fluid, which is inside of your blood stream, to exit into the retina. The fluid can cause a significant amount of edema (or swelling) of the retina. The combination of the swelling and hemorrhaging, in addition to decreased blood flow to a given section of the retina, can result in a decrease in the vision.
Make an appointment with Coastal Eye’s Lakewood Ranch Retina specialist by calling 941-748-1818.