Common Symptoms of Diabetic Retinopathy, Macular Degeneration, and Retinal Detachment Premier Eye Care for Los Angeles and Orange County
The eye is like a camera. The front structures are like the lens of a camera and lining the inside of the back of the eye is the film of the camera, called the RETINA. The retina has many blood vessels which can be damaged by diabetes (DIABETIC RETINOPATHY) and high blood pressure (RETINAL VEIN OCCLUSIONS). The central portion of the retina is called the MACULA. In some people the macula breaks down or degenerates during aging, causing MACULAR DEGENERATION. The space between the lens and the retina is filled with a gel called VITREOUS. Aging changes in vitreous can cause retinal detachments or macular holes or macular pucker.
There are certain symptoms that should not be ignored, because early diagnosis and prompt therapy at the VMR Institute in Huntington Beach can prevent blindness.
Distortions
Distortions could indicate a problem in the MACULA, the center of the retina. If you close one eye and look at something that should be straight, like the edge of a door, blinds on a window, or the grid shown below, you should not see distortions.
The sudden onset of distortions in an elderly person could be due to MACULAR DEGENERATION. In a middle-aged person, the sudden onset of distortions could be the results of a MACULAR HOLE or fluid in the macula from various sources, including diabetic retinopathy. Distortions should be evaluated at the VMR Institute in Huntington Beach, where new tests are being developed in conjunction with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Caltech, and USC which will detect distortions sooner and more accurately. This will enable prompt therapy at the VMR Institute, which is always more effective.
Floaters
Floaters arise from the gel structure that fills the center of the eye, known as vitreous. At birth and during youth, the vitreous is a solid, clear gel (see photo).
During aging, the gel turns to liquid with strands of aggregated collagen. When the gel vitreous is highly liquefied, it can no longer fill the center of the eye and it collapses, pulling away from the retina. This causes the sensation of dark, linear, hair-like or fly-like images that move with eye movement, causing a floating sensation. Floaters are sudden and most noticeable in bright light situations, especially when looking at the sky or a bright white surface. Floaters can sometimes be bothersome enough to be very troubling to patients, as recently proven by a study in a singapore and pointed out by Dr. Sebag in a publication in the American Journal of Ophthalmology. Floaters can be treated by Dr. Sebag at the VMR Institute in Huntington Beach, Orange County near Los Angeles.
Flashing Lights
If vitreous pulls on the retina while it pulls away, it can rip the retina. If you experience flashing lights that are linear (not speck-like), arc-shaped, and situated off to the side, you are at risk of a RETINAL TEAR, especially if the flashing lights are triggered by turning the head or moving the eyes back and forth. Flashing lights should be evaluated immediately, since a torn retina can be repaired with an office procedure, avoiding the need for hospital surgery.
Dark Curtain
A torn retina can allow fluid to enter the space behind the retina and lift it off the back of the eye, called a RETINAL DETACHMENT. The result is the sudden onset of peripheral (off to the side) vision loss seen as a curtain or darkness with a curved demarcation line. On the inside of the line, vision is normal. On the outside of the line, everything is gray or dark. To preserve central vision, this must be promptly evaluated and treated at the VMR Institute in Huntington Beach.
Diabetic Retinopathy
A complication of diabetes, diabetic retinopathy is one of the leading causes of blindness in this country. At the VMR Institute, we treat countless numbers of people suffering from diabetic retinopathy in the Los Angeles and Orange County area. Diabetes damages the tiny blood vessels inside the retina. These fragile vessels can begin to leak blood into the center of the eye and blur vision. Fluid can also leak into the macula, causing it to swell and affect vision. Abnormal blood vessels can grow into the vitreous and rupture. This causes floaters which appear as many small specks (red blood cells) and if there is a large amount of blood, there can be sudden vision loss. The blood can be removed in less than 30 minutes using sutureless, small incision vitrectomy surgery:
It is important to diagnose diabetic retinopathy in its early stages so that therapy can be instituted and blindness can be prevented. In contrast to other symptoms described on this page, diabetic retinopathy can go unnoticed for years. It is therefore important that residents of Los Angeles and Orange Counties with a long history of diabetes, especially poorly-controlled diabetes, should schedule a consultation at the VMR Institute in Huntington Beach.
The modern diagnostic tests that are available at the VMR Institute can detect diabetic retinopathy at early stages. New tests are being developed in collaboration with NASA and USC. Contact our Huntington Beach office near Los Angeles and Orange County to learn more.
Retinal Vein Occlusions
When there is damage to the blood vessels of the retina (the lining of the inside of the back of the eye that functions like a film in a camera), there can be poor circulation to the retina. High blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol, and diabetes are common causes. Vision can range from blurring to blindness. Fortunately, this can be treated with laser surgery and/or drug injections. Both are available at the VMR Institute in Huntington Beach, Orange County near Los Angeles.
Retinal Detachment
The retina lines the inside of the back of the eye and acts like a film in camera. A break in the retina, often associated with floaters and flashing lights, allows fluid to accumulate behind the retina and detach the retina away from its main source of nutrition and oxygen. At the VMR Institute, we commonly diagnose and treat patients with retinal detachment. Our Huntington Beach office in Orange County and near Los Angeles offers state-of-the-art treatment not available at many other eye centers so that we can actually treat retinal detachment in the office with great success. Dr. Sebag and Dr. Chong can also perform surgery under local anesthesia using sutureless techniques with 25 guage microsugical instruments. This can be done in an ambulatory surgery center, so hospitalization is not necessary.
There are three main causes for retinal detachment:
- Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment caused by a retinal tear or breaks which allow fluid to leak and detach the retina. This is the most common cause of retinal detachment.
- Exudative retinal detachment leakage from underneath the retina. Medical conditions such as inflammatory diseases and tumors can cause this type of detachment.
- Traction retinal detachment involves pulling of the retina from fibro-vascular tissue. Commonly caused by diabetic retinopathy.
Dont ignore the symptoms of retinal detachment. Treatment options are available at our Huntington Beach office near Los Angeles and Orange County. Signs of retinal detachment can include:
- Sudden vision loss
- Seeing flashes of light
- A curtain of darkness or grayness encroaching from the periphery
If you think you might be suffering from retinal detachment and you live in the Huntington Beach, Los Angeles or Orange County area, contact the VMR Institute today.
Macular Degeneration
Macular degeneration, sometimes referred to as AMD (age-related macular degeneration), is the leading cause of blindness in individuals over the age of 65. Unfortunately, many of our Los Angeles and Orange County area patients are not diagnosed with macular degeneration until the advanced stages of the disease, when treatment is less effective than earlier in the course of this progressive disease. Prompt diagnosis will enable more effective treatments at the VMR Institute in Huntington Beach, Orange County near Los Angeles.
At first, macular degeneration is "dry" and causes a slow deterioration of the macula, the portion of the retina responsible for sharp, central vision. AMD is more prevalent in Caucasian females and it seems to be associated with the presence of a variant gene, hypertension, and smoking.
When macular degeneration progresses suddenly, it does so because abnormal blood vessels grow under the macula, the central portion of the retina lining the inside of the back of the eye. This causes:
- Distorted images
- Blurred vision
- Difficulty reading
As our elderly population grows, so does the prevalence of vision loss due to AMD. While there is no cure for macular degeneration, Dr. Sebag and Dr. Chong of the VMR Institute in Huntington Beach, Orange County near Los Angeles offers treatments, usually drug injections into the eye, that can significantly slow the progression of wet AMD in 95% of cases and improve vision in 40% of cases. However, early detection is key, so at the VMR Institute we have assembled an impressive array of modern technologies that enable accurate diagnosis and prompt therapy, usually on the same day. Contact the VMR Institute to learn more about macular degeneration screenings.
Macular Holes & Macular Pucker
The macula is the central portion of the retina, which lines the inside of the back of the eye and acts like a film in a camera, receiving the light that enters the eye and creating the image that is then transmitted to the brain by the optic nerve. The macula is responsible for central vision and seeing small details. It is therefore important in reading and driving. During aging, there are molecular changes in the vitreous that cause the gel to become liquefied. As a liquid, the vitreous can no longer fill the center of the eye and collapses, pulling away from the macula. The result in called Posterior Vitreous Detachment (PVD), which is associated with "floaters". This happens to almost everyone if they live long enough and usually occurs without any further problems. But in some people, PVD does not occur normally, resulting in what is called anomalous PVD . Anomalous PVD can cause a variety of disorders that affect vision. In some people, the outer layer of the vitreous splits and leaves a thin layer attached to the macula. This is called vitreoschisis. This sheet or membrane can disturb the macula, causing a hole to open in the center, called a Macular Hole. Macular Hole disturbs central vision by causing a central blind spot and distortions. Visual acuity (the ability to read the letters on the eye chart) is often at the level of legal blindness. Fortunately, this can be cured at the VMR Institute in Huntington Beach, near Los Angeles, California. Below is an image of a macular hole.
Macular Hole Pre Op
The cause of the macular hole is the abnormal sheet membrane that is attached to the macula. The cure for a macular hole is surgery to remove this membrane and fill the eye with a temporary air/gas bubble which the body will absorb on its own.
Dr. Sebag and Dr. Chong employ sutureless techniques using 25 guage microsurgery instruments to cure macular holes under local anesthesia in an ambulatory surgery center, so hospitalization is not required.
Macular Hole Post Op
Macular Pucker is a condition resulting abnormal aging of the vitreous called anomalous posterior vitreous detachment.
When a layer of vitreous is left on the macula, as a result of a phenomenon called vitreoschisis, this membrane can contract and distort or crinkle the underlying macula in one or more places. When the distortion of the macula is advanced, patients will experience distortions in their vision. This can be detected by looking at an Amsler grid. Enter the image of macular pucker here. At the VMR Institute in Huntington Beach near Los Angeles, California we are collaborating with scientists at the Doheny Eye Institute of USC, the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, and the University of Arizona to develop advanced 3-dimensional computerized Amsler grid testing that is more powerful than standard testing. This technology is currently only available at the VMR Institute in Huntington Beach, but we are developing a web-based system that will be made available to you at home, if you have a touch-sensitive computer monitor. Surgery can be performed for macular pucker, and the results are often dramatic. Dr. Sebag and Dr. Chong specialize in minimally-invasive sutureless surgery using 25 gauge microsurgical instruments. This ambulatory surgery operation is performed under local anesthesia at the Newport Bay Surgery Center, where only eye surgery is performed. Short operating times (usually 20 to 30 minutes) make healing more rapid and recovery is faster.
To learn more about symptoms and available treatments for eye disease, including macula degeneration, retinal detachment, and diabetic retinopathy, contact Orange County's VMR Institute.
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VMR Institute
7677 Center Avenue,
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