What is vitreo-retinal disease?
Vitreo-retinal diseases can develop secondary to health problems, such as diabetes. However, ageing has been found to be the predominant risk factor related to vitreo-retinal disease.
Among the conditions which are classed as a vitreo-retinal disease are retinal tear, retinal detachment, diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration.
Symptoms of vitreo-retinal disease
Among the symptoms of vitreo-retinal disease are spots in the visual field, and other floaters; night blindness; light flashes; dimming of peripheral and central vision; sudden vision loss; severe eye pain; distortion of central vision; distortion of words on a page or screen when reading; and extreme sensitivity to light.
Any vitreo-retinal disease symptoms should be evaluated as soon as possible by a retinal specialist.
Diagnosis
Your ophthalmologist may conduct a wide range of tests in diagnosing a vitreo-retinal disease. These can include an Amsler grid test, which uses the Amsler grid to assess your central vision's clarity; fundus autofluorescence (FAF), which can be useful in determining how far vitreo-retinal diseases have progressed; an optical coherence tomography (OCT), which offers a technique for taking accurate images of the retina in order to identify oedema (macular swelling), macular holes and epiretinal membranes; fluorescein angiography, to identify closed or leaking blood vessels; and imaging tests such as CT scans, MRI scans and ultrasound.
Vitrectomy
A vitrectomy is the most common type of procedure for vitreo-retinal disease. It involves the removal of the vitreous gel - it is possible to remove the vitreous safely at a later stage in life.
The procedure is done using a microscope which has special lens attachments, requiring a vitrectomy machine that utilises ultra-thin cutting probes. These cutting probes are able to cut and remove small pieces of the vitreous and reduce the chance of retina damage. A local anaesthetic will usually be administered for a vitrectomy, which is a day procedure requiring just a short stay in the observation ward following the operation.
A vitrectomy can also be used for the removal of floaters from your eye and can be performed in combination with other vitreoretinal procedures, including epiretinal membrane surgery or macular hole repair.
This form of surgery is a technique which is used for fixing retinal detachments. The microscope lenses can facilitate an internal inspection which can discover causative tears or holes in the retina. The tears can then be treated using a freezing probe or laser which creates adhesion between the back of the eye and the retina. This can prevent a retinal detachment from reoccurring. In order to keep the retina fixed in place while the holes seal, gas can be used to fill the vitreous cavity
A vitrectomy is known to offer a high success rate, with only one procedure sufficient to fix nearly 90 per cent of retinal detachments.
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