Frequently asked questions about RETINA AND VITREOUS

The retina is a light-sensitive nerve tissue that lines the inner surface of the eye. It is the innermost layer of the eyeball and consists of a network of neural cells. Its function is to capture light, transform it into nerve impulses and then send them to the brain through the optic nerve where they are translated into images.

The vitreous is a transparent gelatinous substance that fills the eyeball under normal conditions.

The most common symptoms that indicate the presence of a retina-related disease are:

• Loss of vision.
• Blurred vision.
• Distorted vision of objects.
• Sudden appearance of floating bodies moving across the visual field (hoverflies) and shadows.
• Photosensitivity and glare.

Floaters affect all types of people, to a greater or lesser extent. The appearance of these spots in the vision does not necessarily imply any problem, but if they occur in a striking way, it is of vital importance to have an ophthalmologic evaluation immediately to determine their causes and rule out a possible case of retinal tear or hole in the retina.

The main pathologies affecting these ocular structures are:

• Retinal tear and/or detachment.
• Posterior vitreous detachment.
• Magna myopia.
• Macular pathologies, such as AMD.
• Diabetic retinopathy.
• Retinitis pigmentosa.
• Retinal venous or arterial occlusions.

No, retinal detachment does not cause pain and its symptoms are always visual.

Retinal detachment is a pathology of priority attention in ophthalmology because, if not treated in its early stages, it can cause irreparable damage. At present, there are different surgical options that allow the repair of the damage caused, although visual functions are not always completely recovered. The important thing is that the indicated technique is performed as soon as possible, in order to achieve the best result.

Retinal tearing constitutes an initial phase of the detachment, during which symptoms such as the sudden and intense appearance of floaters or dark spots that change position when the eye is moved may be seen.

If not treated early, the tear may progress to retinal detachment. As the detachment progresses, the patient will notice flashes of light, distortion of images, as well as a veil or black cloth covering an area of his visual field, limiting his peripheral vision. In case of these symptoms, an urgent consultation with the ophthalmologist should be made.

It is a physiological process related to the aging of the eye that occurs when the vitreous humor modifies its consistency, so that some areas liquefy and others condense. With the passage of time, the vitreous degrades naturally, causing the hyaloid – the membrane that surrounds it – to separate spontaneously from its fixation points on the retina.

Magna myopia or high myopia (more than six diopters) is due to an excessive elongation of the eyeball that is usually associated with a thinning of the retina. This exaggerated growth of the eye can lead to early onset of posterior vitreous detachment and is an important risk factor for retinal detachment. It also increases the predisposition to develop cataracts and glaucoma more frequently.

Therefore, it is essential that patients with myopia magna undergo regular ophthalmologic evaluations with expert retinal ophthalmologists to prevent the development of these complications, which can seriously impair their vision.

The macula is a small area of yellow pigmentation in the center of the retina (it is its thinnest part), which has a high concentration of photoreceptor cells. Despite its small size, it has a great relevance in ocular functions, as it is responsible for central vision, the movement vision of the human eye, as well as for the most precise vision. The pathologies of the macular region are characterized by symptoms affecting this central vision.

The diseases that most frequently affect the macula are:

• Macular hole.
• Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD).
• Macular edema.
• Macular epiretinal membrane (MER).

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a degenerative disease of the macula that causes progressive deterioration of the tissues of the eye and is generally associated with aging. AMD does not cause pain, but may present various visual disturbances such as distorted vision of objects, blurred vision, increased sensitivity to light or sudden loss of central vision. When the disease is in a more advanced stage, the patient reports seeing a dark spot in the area of central vision that may darken and enlarge.

AMD cannot be prevented because it is linked to the natural aging process. Therefore, it is advisable for the patient to have regular check-ups with the ophthalmologist after the age of 50, since early diagnosis can prevent the disease from leading to blindness in many cases.

Diabetic retinopathy is the most common condition of the retina and the leading cause of blindness in the western world. It is an ocular and vascular complication of diabetes mellitus, which originates when the vessels that irrigate the retina deteriorate. It can affect any patient with type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

Insufficient control of this disease by the patient and high blood glucose levels cause alterations that can affect the retina in different ways. In any case, progressive damage to fundamental ocular structures as a result of diabetes can lead to severe vision loss and even blindness if not properly treated.

Thanks to current surgical options, it is often possible to restore vision in blind patients, even if not completely. However, there are fewer and fewer cases in which intervention is necessary, thanks to greater awareness of this disease and its consequences for visual health.

It is the most common hereditary disease of the retina. It consists of the progressive degeneration of light-sensitive cells (photoreceptors), leading to a gradual decrease in vision. In advanced stages, it can lead to blindness.

The initial symptoms of the disease to which attention should be paid are decreased night vision and progressive reduction of the visual field, which starts affecting only the peripheral vision. As the disease progresses over the years the symptoms become more severe, and it is then that color perception begins to be altered, glare and tunnel vision appear, because the central vision has also been affected.