Eye diseases and refraction anomalies
- Children ophthalmology
- Glaucoma
- Cataract
- Diseases of cornea
- Retinal diseases
- Retinal detachment
- Diseases of the optic nerve
- Intraocular neoplasms
Retinal diseases
Regardless of pathology process aetiology the main symptoms of retinal damage are the following:
-transparency disturbances
-appearance of nidus, haemorrhages, pigment
-changes of calibre and way of vessels
-possible simultaneous involvement in the pathological process of the optic nerve and choroid
Which examination methods are used for retinal pathology diagnostics?
Direct and reverse ophthalmoscopy, binocular ophthalmoscopy, biomicroophthalmoscopy, fluorescent angiography with photo imaging of fundus oculi, visiometry, computer perimetry, ultrasound diagnostics, computer tomography are used for retinal disease diagnostics (see section “NEWS”).
Diabetic retinopathy
One of the most often and prognostically unfavourable manifestations of diabetes mellitus is the damage of retinal coating – diabetic retinopathy.
The most dangerous is the fact that diabetic retinopathy can be latent for a long time period: in the periphery of fundus oculi small haemorrhages may occur, the damaged vessels are replaces by new, incorrect and very tangible vessels which may break any moment – resulting in a wide haemorrhage – hemophthalm, able to create blindness.
What is physician doing is such situations? Traditionally, he administers vessel strengthening and resolving agents, as well as retinal laser coagulation. It is true, that laser coagulation performed in time can prevent a catastrophe but only for some time as the main reason for haemorrhages and retinal oedema remains in place. The main reason is the changed, new made vessels but the source of their creation – diabetes itself.
Diabetic retinopathy is accompanied by changes in vitreous body that is the internal content of the eye and fills a large part of it. The accumulated blood in the eye starts to disaggregate and increases the metabolic disturbances due to accumulation of lactic acid and urea, resulting in acidity of vitreous body. Changes in the vitreous body have a tendency of increasing, incorrect vessels are growing inside the eye. Scarring of retina is going on. The disease is progressing, resulting in haemorrhages in the vitreous body, retinal detachment and irreversible blindness. Each diabetes patient feels the fear of vision loss for his whole life. It happens quite often – the light is switched off. Physicians are not able to do anything – retina has detached, an irreversible oedema of its central part has occurred, it is impossible to do anything, treatment of eyes had to be started earlier.
Early extirpation of a changed vitreous body during the early stages of retinal coating damage stops the development of the disease for many years. Additionally, due to new surgical technologies diabetes mellitus is not a contraindication for artificial lens (IOL) implantation any more after extirpation of a complicated diabetic cataract. Also new treatment methods appear for other diabetic eye damage treatment, e.g., secondary glaucoma, causing blindness of so many patients suffering from diabetes.
Specialists have found the main reason of this disease – breaks of retinal coating. The retina is not moved from its place if it is hermetical (maintaining its entirety) and there are no breaks in it. If a break has occurred liquid from the vitreous body is leaking under retina and detaches it from the vessel coating.
The main reason of retinal breaks is traction of vitreous body due to changes of its normal condition. This process takes places as follows: in normal conditions the vitreous body is similar to a transparent gel. In the result of certain eye diseases it changes – becomes cloudy with thickened fibres, which are connected with retina. During eye movements the fibres pull retina behind them and it can result in a break.
Retinal breaks can also happen in the result of its dystrophy (sheering). Large breaks often happen due to eye traumas.
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