The retina is the light-sensitive layer of nerve tissue that lines the inside of the back the eye. It receives images and triggers nerve impulses that pass via the optic nerve to the visual cortex of the brain, where an image is formed. Dr Vayanos treats medical retina diseases that affect the retina, retinal blood vessels and associated structures, using specialized imaging including OCT scanning, fundus imaging and fluorescein angiography.
Common diseases include:
- Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD)
- Diabetic Eye Disease
- Vascular Eye Disease
- Retinal vein occlusions
- Retinal artery occlusions
- Macroaneurysms
- Vasculitis
Age-related Macular Degeneration
There are 2 types of AMD:
Dry AMD
- In the early stages symptoms are mild and patients may only notice a delay in adjusting from light to dark. Treatment includes vitamins and supplements and a healthy diet and lifestyle.
- In the late stages of disease, the retina degenerates and thins resulting in geographic atrophy which results in blank patches in central vision. Late dry AMD has no treatment, but low vision aids and services are available that will help you cope and function in your daily living.
Wet AMD
- The formation of abnormal blood vessels in the retina leads to leakage of fluid and/or bleeding in the retina which results in sudden loss of vision of varying degrees or distortion of vision (seeing wavy lines).
- Dr Vayanos suggests you have regular eye exams to diagnose and treat wet AMD early. When wet AMD is treated timeously, your vision can be preserved.
- The mainstay of treatment are regular injections containing anti-VEGF medications (Avastin, Lucentis, Eylea and Visiq)
- Dr Vayanos is very experienced and regularly performs this treatment as a sterile procedure in the procedure room of her consulting rooms.
Diabetic Eye Disease
Diabetic eye disease is a collection of eye disorders that affects diabetic patients. This includes diseases such as cataracts, diabetic retinopathy, diabetic macular oedema, and neovascular glaucoma. When the retina is affected from diabetes, it is a sign that your diabetic control is poor and the blood vessels in your body are damaged with poor oxygenation of tissues. This can lead to poor vision and blindness.
Diabetics should be screened at least yearly in the early stages and then more frequently if there are signs of diabetic retinopathy.
Treatments for diabetic eye diseases include argon laser treatment, anti-VEGF eye injections, intra-vitreal steroid implants and sometimes retinal surgery for more advanced disease
Medical Retinal Specialist
Dr Vayanos is a general Ophthalmologist in full-time private practice at the Netcare Christiaan Barnard Memorial Hospital in the centre of Cape Town, South Africa. She is very experienced in the treatment of medical retinal diseases. Her practice is equipped with the latest technology allowing her to give you personalised, high quality eye care with surgical precision. If you have a family history of macular degeneration, are concerned about the health of your retinas and have underlying medical conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and/or cardiovascular disease, contact us today and book an appointment with Dr Vayanos.
Have any questions on retina diseases and treatment? We are here to help. If you do not find your answer below, get in touch with us and we will do our best to provide it.
Retina specialists manage a variety of conditions, including age-related macular degeneration, retinal detachment, and ocular cancers. They also treat individuals with severe eye trauma and those with hereditary eye diseases, encompassing both children and adults.
There are several risk factors for retinal diseases and they include having diabetes or other diseases, a family history of retinal diseases, eye trauma, obesity, smoking and aging.
Retinal cells, once damaged, lack the ability to regenerate, heal, or regrow. However, it is encouraging that ophthalmologists can often repair a damaged retina. While complete vision restoration may not always be achievable, prompt retinal repair can prevent further vision deterioration and help stabilise existing vision.
There are several typical symptoms of a damaged retina. These include double vision, distorted or dim central vision, flashing lights, floaters, straight lines that appear wavy, and spots in your central vision.
The retina can be repaired using laser therapy, cryotherapy, or surgical intervention. As the innermost layer of the eye, the retina is responsible for receiving and transmitting images that have been focused by the lens and cornea.
Unfortunately, damaged cells in the retina never heal or grow back. A detached retina typically will not reattach without medical intervention.
If the retinal detachment cannot be treated with cryotherapy and laser photocoagulation, then surgery is an option.