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The miracle of vision begins with a healthy retina

"Your eye is a living camera," explains Jay Federman, MD, Virtua retina surgeon. First, light enters the eye through the dome-shaped cornea. This helps focus the light as it passes through the pupil and onto the back lining of the eye - the retina. The retina functions like 'film.' It consists of over millions of rod- and cone-shaped cells that transform light into electrical currents. These are sent to the brain where they are all miraculously transformed into a picture - a truly amazing reality show."

But, another reality is that the retina can become damaged or diseased. Phillip Horowitz, MD, Virtua ophthalmologist explains: "The retina can become torn, begin to bleed, experience an unusual growth of blood vessels or develop changes in the macula, which is the center of the retina and the most continually used portion of the eye."

Diseases of the macula
The job of the macula is to help an individual focus his vision on a central spot so he can read, drive or revel in watching a grandchild. But the macula is not foolproof; it can be affected by one of two forms of a disease called macular degeneration.

The wet form of macular degeneration occurs when abnormal, immature blood vessels grow under the retina and rupture. This causes bleeding, scarring and severe vision loss in just weeks. The dry form, in contrast, often progresses relatively slowly. It occurs when the tissues in the region of the macula become too thin, and it results in a blurring of overall vision or a dark spot at the center of vision.

Virtua retina specialists are using a new photodynamic technology to help stop the damage of macular degeneration. With this new technique, the patient is given an intravenous injection of a safe, photosensitive drug called Visudyne, which is absorbed by the abnormal blood vessels in the eye. Then, a beam of light is aimed into the eye for just over one minute. This activates the Visudyne, which destroys the abnormal vessels, often preventing further damage to vision.

Another threat to the retina
Certain medical conditions, especially diabetes, also pose a threat to the retina. Michael Colucciello, MD, Virtua retina surgeon explains the problem of diabetic retinopathy: "People with diabetes can have poor circulation in the retina. This can cause delicate blood vessels in the retina to close off. To compensate, the body can create a new network of vessels that are weak and may bleed into the eye. This keeps light from reaching the retina. It's critical that individuals with diabetes get regular eye exams even before they have symptoms. This will help catch any problem at its earliest stage, when laser therapy can prevent the blinding complications of diabetes."

Looking at retinal tears and detachment
Individuals who are near-sighted or myopic may also be at higher risk for torn retinas because of the way their eyes are shaped. A retinal tear is where the delicate film of the eye develops a rip. Symptoms include visual changes such as flashes of light and the appearance of floaters — black threads or cobwebs in the field of vision. Tears caught early can be corrected with outpatient laser surgery.

An uncorrected tear can progress into a retinal detachment where the retina literally detaches from of the back of the eye and can result in blindness. Urgent surgery is required.

Treatment for all types of vision problems
Vision loss can be prevented in many instances if diagnosed early and accurately and optimal treatment is provided. At the Virtua Eye Diagnostic Treatment Center, one-stop eye care is available from highly trained retina surgeons and ophthalmologists who use the latest diagnostic and treatment methods for macular degeneration, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy and cataracts among other eye problems. Other sophisticated technology such as optical coherence tomography (OCT) uses light and non-harmful lasers to create a cross sectional analysis of all layers of the retina and its micro-environment. This helps physicians view the retina at the cellular level for extremely accurate diagnosis.

Virtua is the only place in South Jersey where this technology is offered. For an appointment with a Virtua retina surgeon or an ophthalmologist, call 1-888-Virtua-3.