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Age-related Macular Degeneration
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common
cause of irreversible vision loss in Americans over the age of 60. It is
estimated that 10 million Americans will experience this age-related visual
impairment during their retirement years.
Chloroquine and Hydoxychloroquine
Toxicity
Macular toxicity due to anti-malarials
occur in a dose and length related fashion.
Cystoid
Macular Edema
Blurring of central
vision
from cystoid macular edema results from accumulation of fluid with
formation of fluid-filled cysts. It is non-specific as it may occur
with any type of macular edema.
Color Blindness
Color vision defects can either be congenital or
acquired. Congenital color defects are red-green abnormalities often passed
on to a gene on the X-chromosome, affecting 5-8% of males and 0.5% of
females. Acquired defects are often the blue-yellow type.
Central
Serous Chorioretinopathy
Blurring of vision often associated with distortion presents from
localized detachment of the retina in the macula in central serous
chorioretinopathy.
Diabetic Eye Diseases
Diabetic eye disease refers to a group of eye problems
that people with diabetes may face as a complication of this disease.
All can cause severe vision loss or even blindness.
Diabetic Retinopathy
Patients
with diabetes are more likely to develop eye problems such as cataracts and
glaucoma, but the disease’s affect on the
retina is the
main threat to vision. Most patients develop diabetic changes in the retina
after approximately 20 years. The effect of diabetes on the eye is called
diabetic retinopathy.
Macular Hole
A
macular hole is a small break in the macula, located in the center of the
eye's light-sensitive tissue called the retina. The macula provides the
sharp, central vision we need for reading, driving, and seeing fine detail.
Posterior
Vitreous Detachment
Most of the eye's interior is filled
with vitreous, a gel-like substance that helps the eye maintain a round
shape. There are millions of fine fibers intertwined within the vitreous
that are attached to the surface of the retina, the eye's
light-sensitive tissue. As we age, the vitreous slowly shrinks, and
these fine fibers pull on the retinal surface. Usually the fibers break,
allowing the vitreous to separate and shrink from the retina. This is a
vitreous detachment.
Retinal Detachment
The
retina is the light-sensitive layer of tissue that lines the inside of the
eye and sends visual messages through the optic nerve to the brain. When the
retina detaches, it is lifted or pulled from its normal position. If not
promptly treated, retinal detachment can cause permanent vision loss.
Retinopathy
of Prematurity
Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a
potentially blinding condition affecting babies born prematurely, especially
those weighing less than 1,250 grams. With increasing survival among
premature births due to advances in neonatal care, there have been an
increasing number of these cases.
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RETINA AND VITREOUS DISEASES information compiled
by Dr
Manolette Roque and initially uploaded on September 22, 2006.
Last updated on
March 14, 2007. |
