COMMON RETINAL DISEASES

The retina is the light-sensing tissue that resides in the back of your eye. It is responsible
for relaying images to your brain. Without a healthy retina, you can’t read, drive, or see
fine details. A retinal disorder or disease affects this very important tissue, which, in turn,
can affect vision to the point of blindness.

Common retinal conditions include floaters, macular degeneration, diabetic eye disease,
retinal detachment, and retinitis pigmentosa. There are other issues that can occur, but
these conditions are some of the most common and serious that a person can
experience.

Floaters

If you notice spots in your vision, then you have floaters. They can be age-related, but
they can also occur in cases of severe nearsightedness. The jelly substance the eye is
made of becomes more liquid and small clumps cast a shadow on the retina.
Macular Degeneration

Macular degeneration is an age-related condition of the retina that causes central vision
loss. It is very common in individuals over the age of 55, with approximately 10 million
people in the United States suffering from the condition.

The symptoms tend to involve blurry central vision, warped straight lines, or difficulty
focusing on fine details. Blind spots can develop as the condition worsens.
`One can compare the human eye to a camera. The macula is the central and most sensitive area of the
so-called film. When it is working properly, the macula collects highly detailed images at the center of
the field of vision and sends them up the optic nerve to the brain, which interprets them as sight.
When the cells of the macula deteriorate, images are not received correctly. In early stages, macular
degeneration does not affect vision. Later, if the disease progresses, people experience wavy or blurred
vision, and, if the condition continues to worsen, central vision may be completely lost. People with
very advanced macular degeneration are considered legally blind. Even so, because the rest of the
retina is still working, they retain their peripheral vision, which is not as clear as central vision.
What is diabetic eye disease?

Diabetic eye disease is a group of eye problems that can affect people with diabetes. These conditions include diabetic retinopathy,

diabetic macular edema, cataracts, and glaucoma.

Over time, diabetes can cause damage to your eyes that can lead to poor vision or even blindness. But you can take steps to prevent

diabetic eye disease, or keep it from getting worse, by taking care of your diabetes. Diabetic eye disease is a group of eye

conditions that can affect people with diabetes.

 Diabetic retinopathy affects blood vessels in the light-sensitive tissue called the retina that lines the
back of the eye. It is the most common cause of vision loss among people with diabetes and the leading

cause of vision impairment and blindness among working-age adults.

 Diabetic macular edema (DME). A consequence of diabetic retinopathy, DME is swelling in an area of
the retina called the macula.

Diabetic eye disease also includes cataract and glaucoma:

 Cataract is a clouding of the eye’s lens. Adults with diabetes are 2-5 times more likely than those
without diabetes to develop cataract. Cataract also tends to develop at an earlier age in people

with diabetes.

 Glaucoma is a group of diseases that damage the eye’s optic nerve—the bundle of nerve fibers that
connects the eye to the brain. Some types of glaucoma are associated with elevated pressure inside the

eye. In adults, diabetes nearly doubles the risk of glaucoma

 Retinal detachment describes an emergency situation in which a thin layer of tissue (the retina)
at the back of the eye pulls away from its normal position.

Retinitis Pigmentosa

Retinitis pigmentosa describes genetic conditions that can cause retinal degeneration.
Vision loss gradually declines as the rods and cones die. Leber’s congenital amaurosis,
Usher syndrome, Bardet-Biedel syndrome, rod-cone disease, and Refsum disease are
some examples of conditions that are classified as retinitis pigmentosa.

Usually, rods are affected first, and then the degeneration moves to the cones. One of
the earliest symptoms is night blindness, but some people experience central vision loss
or color blindness. Adolescents and young adults are especially vulnerable since this is
an inherited condition.

Retinal ischemia is most often caused by another condition that affects

the retina. These include central retina vein occlusion, branch artery or
vein occlusions, and diabetes. These conditions affect the blood flow into
and out of the retina, which can lead to ischemia.