Would you like to decrease your dependency on glasses or contact lenses? This is now an option with the use of premium lifestyle lens implants. Individuals suffering from cataracts previously had only a monofocal lens implant option after surgery. NEW multifocal IOL technology provides multiple ranges of vision: near, intermediate and far, giving you the opportunity to reduce or even eliminate your dependency on glasses!
Did you know there is now advanced testing available for diagnosing macular degeneration? Macular Risk® is a DNA test that identifies genetic markers associated with Macular Degeneration. By analyzing these genetic markers along with smoking history, we can identify who needs more frequent eye examinations and who may benefit from eye vitamins.
NEW TECHNIQUES IN TREATING MACULAR DEGENERATION
Are you seeking clear vision without the hassles of glasses or contact lenses? There are many vision correction options available at Kaufman Eye Institute. Take our Vision Correction Self Test to learn what options are best for you!
TAKE THE VISION CORRECTION SELF TEST
The physicians and staff at the Kaufman Eye Institute take great pride in helping less fortunate countries receive the eye care that is much needed. Click here to learn about our most recent medical mission.
The macula is the central are of the retina that allows you to see fine details clearly. This tissue is necessary to convert the light rays that enter your eye in signals that are sent through your optic nerve to the brain to be seen as images.
Damage or distortion of this important tissue causes blurred vision, making it difficult to perform tasks both at near and far like reading and driving.
Your eye is filled with a gel-like substance called the vitroues. This vitreous lies in front of the macula. The macula normally lies flat against the back of the eye, like film lying in the back of a camera. As you age, the vitreous gel shrinks and pulls away from the macula, and usually separation occurs from the retina without negative effect on your retina other than some new floaters. However, in some cases scar tissue develops on the macula. This scar tissue, sometimes called fibrosis, can warp and shrink, causing the retina to wrinkle or bulge. It is this 'wrinkling' process that has lead some Eye Mds to call this process a 'wrinkle' in your retina when describing it to patients.
Symptoms of macular pucker range from mild to severe and may involve one or both eyes. Symptoms occur that include:
Remember, if the macula is the only tissue involved, you do not lose your vision completely. The only area of vision affected by this disease is the central vision, so your side vision would remain intact unless you have other eye disease affecting it.
Your ophthalmologist at Kaufman Eye Institute will diagnose an epi-retinal membrane by looking inside your eye with special lenses at a biomicroscope. At that time he will order an Ocular Coherence Tomography (OCT), to scan and examine your retina. OCT uses light waves to reveal specific layers of the retina. Sometimes a fluorescein angiography is run to look for leakage in or around the retina.
For mild symptoms, no treatment is necessary. Updating your eyeglasses to the best prescription can help minimize your symptoms. Eyedrop or laser syrgery does not help this visual condition.
For more severe cases, a surgery called vitrectomy is recommended. This surgery is usually done as an outpatient procedure in an operating room. During this delicate surgery your ophthalmologist will use delicate instruments to remove the wrinkled tissue on your macula. After the scar tissue is removed, the macula will flatten over time and the vision will slowly improve. Surgery should be considered carefully by you and ophthalmologisy.
