What is Retinal Disease?

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The retina is a thin layer of tissue on the inner wall of your eye. It contains millions of light-sensitive cells connected with nerve fibers that receive and package visual information destined for the brain. This information is sent to your brain by the optic nerve, allowing you to see.

Diseases of the retina can affect any part of your retina. They can affect your vision and may cause blindness. Disease affecting your retina's periphery can impair your peripheral vision. Some diseases affect the part of your retina that serves your central vision (the macula and the fovea), diseases here affect your central vision.

Many retinal diseases share some common symptoms and treatments. The main objectives of treatment are to stop/ slow the disease, preserve, improve or restore vision.

Retinal diseases may be related to ageing, diabetes or other causes, like trauma to the eye, or family history.

Patients with retinal symptoms are examined using special instruments to look for signs of retinal disease both in the central and peripheral parts of the retina. Ultra-wide field Photography may be used to document the affected areas and special scans such as ultrasound scans, or Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) may be used to measure the dimensions and define the nature of the disease. Angiography can help us delineated and diagnosis diseases with abnormal blood vessels or blood flow.

Depending on the nature of the disease, treatment in the form of laser, photo-biomodulation therapy (Valeda therapy), intraviteal injections and/or surgery may be recommended to stabilize or improve vision, or prevent disease progression.