Retinal Diseases

Some retinal diseases might result in sight loss without treatment. Fortunately, board-certified eye doctors Elias Aliprandis, MD, and Irene Rusu, MD, at Ophthalmology Associates of Bay Ridge, specialize in diagnosing and treating these conditions. They can identify problems like diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration or holes, and retinal tears or detachment. Call the office in the Bay Ridge or Sheepshead Bay neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, to request a retinal disease screening exam or request an appointment online today.

What are retinal diseases?

Retinal diseases affect the retina, a thin tissue layer on the eye’s inside back wall.

The retina consists of millions of cells, including light-sensitive rods, cones, and nerve cells that receive visual data. The retina sends this information to your brain along the optic nerve, allowing you to see.

Treatment can stop or slow disease progression and conserve, improve, or restore your sight, depending on your retinal disease.

What retinal diseases might affect me?

Common retinal diseases include:

Diabetic retinopathy
If your blood sugar levels are too high because of diabetes, the tiny capillaries (blood vessels) at the back of the eyes can weaken, leaking fluid into and under your retina. This issue leads to retinal swelling that can distort or blur your vision. You could also develop abnormal capillaries prone to breaking and bleeding.

Retinal tears
Retinal tears happen when the vitreous, a clear, gel-like fluid in your eye’s center, shrinks. It may pull on the retina with enough force to tear it.

Retinal detachment
Retinal detachment happens when fluid gets under the retina, usually due to a retinal tear. Detachment causes your retina to lift away from the eye wall tissues.

Macular holes
Macular holes are flaws in the macula — the center of your retina. These holes may result from trauma or the vitreous inside the eye pulling on the retina.

Macular degeneration
This age-related condition causes deterioration of the macula. Dry macular degeneration is the most common. Some people subsequently develop wet macular degeneration.

What symptoms might I develop with retinal diseases?

Retinal diseases often cause similar symptoms, such as:

• Blurred or distorted vision
• Problems with side (peripheral) vision
• Darkening at the center of your vision
• Floaters (dark, moving shapes)
• Lost vision

You should contact Ophthalmology Associates of Bay Ridge immediately if you suddenly develop floaters, flashes, or reduced sight, as these could be warning signs of serious retinal diseases.

What treatment might I need for retinal diseases?

Retinal disease treatments include:

• Laser repair
• Scatter laser photocoagulation
• Cryopexy (freezing probe)
• Pneumatic retinopexy repair
• Scleral buckling to repair a retinal detachment
• Vitrectomy (emptying and replacing the eye’s fluid)
• Injecting medicine into the eye
• Implanting a retinal prosthesis

The treatment your retinal disease requires depends on its cause and severity.

Call Ophthalmology Associates of Bay Ridge today to learn more about retinal diseases or schedule a consultation online.