Improved Vision For An Improved Life

Laser For Macular/Diabetic Eye | Anti VEGF Therapy For AMD | Sutureless Vitreous Surgery | Vitreo Retinal Surgery

Laser For Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD)

What are the two types of Macular Degeneration?

Macular degeneration is diagnosed as either dry or wet. Dry AMD is more common than wet AMD, with about 90% of people having the dry type and 10% of people having the wet type. However, even though the wet type is less common, 90% of severe vision loss comes from the wet type and only 10% from the dry type.

  • Dry AMD: Dry AMD occurs when the light-sensitive cells in the macula slowly break down, gradually blurring central vision in the affected eye. It is diagnosed when yellow deposits known as drusen accumulate in the macula. Dry AMD causes gradual central vision loss, but the loss usually is not as severe as can be found with the wet type.
  •  Wet AMD: Wet AMD occurs when abnormal blood vessels behind the retina start to grow under the macula. These new blood vessels tend to be very fragile and often leak blood and fluid. This blood and fluid raises the macula from its normal place at the back of the eye, causing scarring and permanent damage to light-sensitive retinal cells, which creates blind or blurry spots in the central vision.

What are the symptoms of Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD)?

Especially with the dry form, symptoms may develop gradually. Also if only one eye is affected, a person may not notice changes in vision until the disease gets moderately worse because the unaffected eye helps to compensate for changes in vision. Having an annual eye exam is very important for detecting AMD and other ocular disorders early in their progression.

What are the symptoms of AMD?

  • Blurred vision
  • Dark area or “blind spot”
  • Distorted appearance of straight lines or other objects.

How to prevent AMD?

It is important for people with AMD to monitor their vision closely and to call their eye doctor if there is a change in vision. One way to monitor vision or detect a problem is with an Amsler grid. The Amsler grid, which looks similar to a section of graph paper, is a diagnostic tool that aids in the detection of visual disturbances caused by changes in the retina. The Amsler grid is a very sensitive test that can reveal clinical changes before other visual symptoms develop. With new and reliable treatments for wet AMD, this tool is important for the early detection of wet AMD.

What are the treatments for AMD?

  • Dry AMD: The National Eye Institute’s Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) found that taking a specific high-dose formulation of antioxidants and zinc can reduce the risk of progression of dry AMD in some patients. The AREDS formulation is not a cure for AMD. It will not restore vision already lost from the disease. However, it may delay the onset of advanced AMD. It may also help people who are at high risk for developing advanced AMD keep their vision.
  • Wet AMD: Wet AMD can be treated with laser therapy, photodynamic therapy, and injections into the eye. Some patients receive one of these treatments and some patients receive a combination of these treatments. None of these treatments is a cure for wet AMD, but they may halt the progression of the disease and in some cases allow for some gain in visual acuity.
  • Laser Therapy: This procedure uses a high energy beam of light to seal or destroy the abnormal blood vessels to prevent leaking and further loss of vision. However, laser treatment may also destroy some surrounding healthy tissue and some vision. Therefore, only a small percentage of people with wet AMD is treated with laser surgery- mainly those whose leaky blood vessels have developed away from the central part of the macula. The risk of new blood vessels developing after laser treatment is high and repeated treatments may be necessary.
  • Photodynamic Therapy: This procedure uses a combination of light and drug therapy to destroy leaking blood vessels. First, a drug called Verteporfin is injected into a patient’s arm. It travels throughout the body, including to the eye, where it “sticks” to the surface of new leaky blood vessels. Next, a light is shone into the eye for about 90 seconds. The light activates the drug which destroys the new blood vessels, leading to a slower rate of visual decline. Unlike laser surgery, the drug does not destroy surrounding healthy tissue. This therapy slows the rate of vision loss but does not stop vision loss altogether or restore vision in eyes already damaged by AMD. Treatment results are often temporary and may need to be repeated.

Anti-VEGF Therapy

(Intravitreal Injections)

The treatment of AMD has evolved in the last 5 or so years from limiting the degree of vision loss to maintaining and even improving existing vision in some cases. This is largely due to Anti-VEGF (Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor) therapy. Anti-VEGF therapy works by blocking the action of VEGF, the molecule that promotes the growth of abnormal blood vessels under the retina. These drugs are injected directly inside the eye to provide maximum concentration in the area where they are needed. The eye is numbed before each injection. There may be slight discomfort and soreness on the day of the injection, but not pain. Multiple injections will be given as often as monthly, with the goal of achieving up to 3 to 6 months between injections. These drugs maintain vision in up to 90% of all patients treated. Vision may improve in up to 1/3 of treated patients.

Sutureless Vitreous Surgery (Vitrectomy)

Vitrectomy is a surgical procedure undertaken by a specialist where the vitreous humor gel that fills the eye cavity is removed to provide better access to the retina. This allows for a variety of repairs, including the removal of scar tissue, laser repair of retinal detachments and treatment of macular holes. Once the surgery is complete, saline, a gas bubble or silicone oil may be injected into the vitreous gel to help hold the retina in position. Surgeries can now be performed with self-sealing, sutureless (no-stitch) incisions approximately one half of a millimeter in size, which is about the width of an eyelash. Although it has some limitations, small-gauge vitrectomy surgery is generally considered more comfortable than surgery with larger instruments and offers faster visual recovery in many cases.

Vitreoretinal Surgery

The retina is the delicate, light-sensitive tissue that covers the interior wall of the eye. Like the film of a camera, it receives images projected through the lens of the eye and sends these images to your brain through the optic nerve. When the retina is damaged in any way, your vision becomes impaired. Damage to the retina may be caused by injury, illness or as a result of aging. There are many patients who lose vision due to clouding of the normally transparent vitreous gel or the development of scar tissue in the eye. Techniques have been developed to permit surgical treatment of these conditions. If you are experiencing vitreoretinal problems, you should consult with us for diseases in the back of the eye such as macular degeneration, diabetic disease, retinal detachment, trauma and intraocular infection, the most common disease being Diabetic Retinopathy.

What is Diabetic Retinopathy?

Diabetic Retinopathy occurs when diabetes damages blood vessels inside your eye, which can lead to blurry, distorted vision and blindness.

What are the symptoms? 

  • Blurry vision
  • Darkened or cloudy vision
  • Seeing floaters or black lines

What are the risk factors? 

  • High Blood Pressure
  • Smoking
  • High Cholesterol

What are the treatments available?

  • Laser Photocoagulation to control leaking capillaries and prevent the growth of new capillaries,
  • Intravitreal Injections to reduce macular oedema and improve the quality of vision,
  • Vitrectomy to remove cloudy vitreous and scar tissue, and
  • Cryotherapy to shrink capillaries and repair the retina

What are the ways to prevent this? 

  • Regular eye exams
  • Diet
  • Medications
  • Regular Exercise
  • Blood sugar and blood pressure control
  • Avoidance of alcohol and cigarettes

The Caring Touch Difference:

At The Caring Touch, we offer the best Laser for Macular/Diabetic Eye, Anti VEGF Therapy for AMD, Sutureless Vitreous Surgery, and Vitreo Retinal Surgery solutions in Delhi NCR at affordable costs. Our centre is well equipped, technology-driven, and are at par with international standards. Our eye surgeon is one of the finest and most experienced doctors and leaves no margin for error.

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