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What is the Retina?

The retina is a thin layer covering most of the inside of the back of your eye. Because the retina receives light, encodes it, and transmits it to the brain, problems with the retina’s function can interfere with vision. There are over a handful of different diseases and conditions that can affect the retina, some of which present an emergency situation requiring prompt treatment from someone like our Denver retina specialists.

What is the Retina?

The retina is a thin layer covering most of the inside of the back of your eye. Because the retina receives light, encodes it, and transmits it to the brain, problems with the retina’s function can interfere with vision. There are over a handful of different diseases and conditions that can affect the retina, some of which present an emergency situation requiring prompt treatment from someone like our Denver retina specialists.

Retinal Conditions and Diseases

The most common conditions and diseases impacting the retina include:

  • Retinal tear
  • Retinal detachment
  • Diabetic retinopathy
  • Macular hole
  • Retinitis pigmentosa
  • Epiretinal membrane
  • Age-related macular degeneration (AMD): AMD is the leading cause of blindness in people over 65 years old in the U.S. It is a condition involving the macula, which is the center part of the retina, and leads to loss of detailed vision. When the macula is affected, you may have difficulty reading, driving, and seeing faces. You may find it significantly harder to do near-work, such as threading a needle, or you may not be able to distinguish small objects.

Despite the variances between these conditions, the symptoms produced are usually the same.

Retina Illustration 450x600 1 Retina Illustration 600x450 1

Symptoms and Risk Factors

Symptoms of retinal diseases and conditions are relatively consistent despite the diagnosis: new floaters, loss of vision, changes in peripheral vision, and wavy or blurred vision. The photo on the left shows how a symptom of age-related macular degeneration may present.

You might be surprised to hear that you can reduce your risk of retinal disease by making good choices today: maintain a healthy weight by exercising and eating well and stop smoking if you smoke (and don’t start if you don’t smoke). Some factors of retinal issues aren’t within your control: age, family history of retinal disease, and eye trauma.

Be sure to discuss risk factors with your provider and follow your eye doctor’s recommendation for annual or more frequent preventative examinations.

ICON Eyecare Macular Degeneration Symptoms

Treatment of Retinal Conditions

There are over a dozen treatments for retinal conditions. Your eye doctor will help you choose the treatment that offers the lowest risk and the greatest benefit. Potential treatment options may include:

  • laser surgery
  • freezing
  • injecting gas or air into the eye
  • shrinking blood vessels
  • injectable medications
  • removing and then replacing the fluid inside the eye

Request a preventative or diagnostic appointment with our team for evaluation of your specific symptoms and concerns, like retinal detachment or other complications.