Retina and vitreous
The retina is the tissue that turns light into an image. Its diseases usually progress without pain and without symptoms until the damage is already done, which is why finding them early changes the outcome decisively.
What we treat
- Diabetic retinopathy. The leading cause of preventable blindness in working-age adults. Everyone with diabetes needs a dilated retinal exam at least once a year, symptoms or not.
- Age-related macular degeneration. Affects central vision, the vision you use to read and recognize faces.
- Macular edema of diabetic, vascular or post-surgical origin.
- Vascular occlusions of a retinal vein or artery.
- Retinal tears and detachment.
- Vitreous hemorrhage and other vitreous complications.
Warning signs
Come in the same day if you have
A sudden shower of new floaters. Repeated flashes of light. A curtain or shadow moving across your field of vision. Sudden loss of vision in one eye. These can mean a retinal tear or detachment, and how fast you are seen determines the outcome.
Treatments available
- Intravitreal anti-VEGF injections. The standard treatment for macular edema and wet macular degeneration. Given in the procedure room under topical anesthesia, usually over several scheduled doses.
- Argon laser photocoagulation. Seals retinal tears and treats proliferative diabetic retinopathy.
- Retinal and vitreous surgery in our own operating rooms, for detachment and vitreous hemorrhage.
How we study the retina
Diagnosis relies on OCT, which measures the thickness of the macula and optic nerve layer by layer, angiography to see retinal circulation, fundus photography to document and compare, and ocular ultrasound when a dense cataract or a hemorrhage prevents a direct view.
Frequently asked questions
Does an injection in the eye hurt?
Anesthetic drops are applied beforehand. Most patients describe pressure rather than pain. It takes a few minutes and is done under sterile conditions.
I have diabetes but I see fine. Do I still need the exam?
Yes. Diabetic retinopathy starts without symptoms, and by the time vision fails the damage is usually advanced. A yearly dilated retinal exam is part of managing diabetes, not an optional extra.
Is retinal detachment an emergency?
Generally yes, and timing matters. When the detachment has not yet reached the macula, the visual outcome is considerably better.
How many injections will I need?
It depends on the disease and on how you respond. It is a treatment followed with OCT, not a single dose. Your retina specialist sets and adjusts the schedule at each visit.
This information is educational
What is described here is the usual approach and does not replace a medical assessment. The diagnosis and treatment for your case are decided by your treating specialist.
Need an appointment?
We will point you to the right line for your location and tell you whether it is open right now. One step.