Retina Services

At Total Eye Care, we are committed to providing comprehensive retinal care to protect and preserve your vision. Our approach to retinal care is tailored to each patient’s needs, focusing on early detection, prevention, and effective treatment.

Macular Degeneration

For patients over 65, macular degeneration is the single greatest cause of vision loss and blindness in the U.S. The disease process attacks the retina in a specific location known as the macula, where your sharpest central vision is located. There are two forms of macular degeneration:

Dry Macular Degeneration

In the dry form of macular degeneration, the pigmented cells beneath the retina accumulate waste products, clump together, and lose the ability to support the cells on the retina’s surface. The retina overlying the damaged pigmented cells then dies off.

Patients with mild or ‘dry’ macular degeneration sometimes describe a fuzzy spot in the center of their vision. In advanced macular degeneration, however, there may be a central blind spot and distortion of the central vision, though peripheral vision typically is unaffected.

Treatment of dry macular degeneration often involves high-dose antioxidant vitamins, which have been proven to slow the progression of the dry form to the wet form.

Wet Macular Degeneration

Small blood vessels can sometimes grow in the clumping pigmented cells beneath the retina. These blood vessels are weaker than normal vessels and can easily break or leak fluid, resulting in sometimes devastating vision loss.

This is the ‘wet form’ of macular degeneration. Wet macular degeneration may be treated with state-of-the-art photodynamic therapy (PDT) laser or the latest proven medications,such as Avastin and Lucentis. Avastin, Lucentis and alternatives work within the eye to specifically target the chemical messengers that create weak and leaky blood vessels.

Blocking the messengers decreases the leakage of the damaged vessels, and vision can be increased.

Diabetes and the Eye

Any patient being treated for diabetes by a primary care physician should be seen yearly for a dilated medical eye exam. Diabetes and fluctuating blood sugars can negatively affect the front and back of the eye, causing prescription changes, cataracts, and retinal disease.

In diabetic eye disease, the normally stable retinal blood vessels develop leaks, allowing fluid or blood to accumulate in the retina. Bleeding or leaking of fluid may cause retinal swelling, keeping the retina from working properly.

Patients describe blurry and distorted vision when fluid begins to leak. This macular edema often responds dramatically to steroid injections, medicines Avastin, Lucentis, etc., or even ‘focal’ laser treatments by our retina specialists. Diabetes can also cause small blood vessels to become obstructed.

The blockage of blood vessels leaves areas of the retina starving for blood, which carries oxygen and nutrients. The impaired retina sends out chemical signals to promote new blood vessel growth. These new blood vessels are much weaker than normal vessels and frequently leak or bleed.

At Total Eye Care, we use the latest technology to treat all degrees of diabetic retinal disease. Using specialized lasers or medications, we can decrease inflammation and fluid accumulation and decrease or eliminate new vessel growth.

Schedule an Appointment

Whether you’re experiencing symptoms of macular degeneration, diabetic eye disease, or other retinal concerns, our team is here to provide expert care. Contact us today to book your appointment and take the first step toward preserving your eyesight.

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Our approach to patient care starts with our doctors who are devoted to creating a welcoming, and family-oriented relationship with our patients. We employ highly-trained staff to deliver the first-class attention that our patients have come to appreciate and expect.

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