5 Effective Treatments for Retina Disease

Many vision problems affect your retinas, which can make seeing clearly difficult and lead to blindness. However, we have many treatments available to manage retinal diseases, so read on to learn how we can help preserve your vision.

Eye health is essential for a multitude of basic functions. Still, statistics show that vision problems are widespread, with more than 2.2 billion people struggling globally and 12 million in America trying to cope, including approximately 1 million who are blind. This includes various types of eye problems, such as retinal diseases, which threaten your focused vision.

Your retina is crucial not just for seeing things clearly but also for transmitting information from your eye to the brain through your optic nerve. Fortunately, we have several ways to help you maintain or improve your retinal health by treating various diseases that affect it. To better understand the options, let’s examine the conditions and review our treatment methods.

Dr. Jeffrey Rapkin, here at Retina Consultants of Muncie in Muncie, Indiana, has years of experience and is committed to preserving your visual health.

Types of retinal diseases

Retinal problems interfere with your eyes' ability to convert focused light into electrical signals that your brain uses to interpret vision. Several conditions can cause this, including:

Macular degeneration

This disease affects the center of your retina, known as the macula. It is more common in smokers, individuals with a family history, and those over 55 (also referred to as age-related macular degeneration).

Diabetic retinopathy

Diabetes does substantial damage throughout your body. In your eyes, it leads to bleeding in the retinal veins and the creation of weaker, abnormal veins that cause vision loss and eventual blindness.

Retinal tears and detachment

Several issues can lead to tears in the retina, which can eventually cause it to detach if left untreated. Risk factors include eye injuries, nearsightedness (myopia), and diabetic retinopathy.

Macular holes

More common in older people (ages 60-80) and women, the holes that form in the central part of your retina don’t have a discernible cause, though injury or age do play a role.

Retinitis pigmentosa

A rare disorder and the term for a group of retinal diseases that cause the photoreceptors to stop working correctly and reduce your vision.

Treatments we use to help

Maintaining and repairing the damage to your retina is possible with several procedures, including:

1. Laser eye surgery

This is more than just a LASIK treatment to reshape your corneas; laser treatments for the eyes can also manage issues with cataracts, glaucoma, and the effects of diabetic retinopathy. They can also treat macular holes and tears.

2. Cryopexy

A method of freezing retinal tissue to prevent fluid from entering and causing further tears and detachment.

3. Pneumatic retinopexy

An injection of expanding gas bubbles, which is positioned over a detached retinal area and frozen in place

4. Vitrectomy

The removal of blood and foreign substances from the vitreous of the middle of your eye and replacing it with saline or gas bubbles.

5. Eye injections

The injection of medications directly into your eye is often used to treat macular and other retinal issues.

Retinal problems cause numerous vision issues, but they can be treated, and we’re here to help. Schedule an appointment with Dr. Rapkin and the Retina Consultants of Muncie team today to restore your vision and see the world better.