I am happy and honored to introduce Dr. Chris Renner as a contributor to RetinaEyeDoctor.com! He and I practice closely together in Northern Virginia. I asked him to write about Low Vision. - "Randy" What is Low Vision? The great advances in treatment of eye disease have prevented many cases of blindness, however, many patients suffer partial visual loss and are left with reduced … [Read more...]
Avastin: An Adjunctive Therapy for Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy
January 27, 2010 By 11 Comments
Avastin® is useful for a variety of eye conditions; it is principally used to treat wet macular degeneration and is becoming a popular option to treat diabetic macular edema. On occasion, Avastin has also been useful, in my practice, to treat patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy. VEGF (Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor) also causes abnormal blood vessels to grow in cases of … [Read more...]
Lasers for “Eye Surgery”
January 26, 2010 By Leave a Comment
There are many lasers and many ways to use lasers in eye surgery. I am asked all the time if I perform "laser surgery," but I know what they are asking. While I do perform laser surgery for diabetic retinopathy, and (not so much anymore) macular degeneration, they are really asking if I perform laser vision correction eye surgery. No, I don't. There are at least 5 different areas of … [Read more...]
“My First Avastin Injection:” A Patient Account
January 25, 2010 By 51 Comments
A couple of months ago, I examined a new patient who had been complaining of decreased vision, and distortion, in the right eye for about 2 months. His vision was 20/200 in the right eye. After examination, I recommended Avastin® treatment for his wet macular degeneration. This is his account of the injection and the weeks after. Saturday, 12/5 I was administered the shot of Avastin … [Read more...]
“Mrs. Ozurdex” Does Not See Well
January 22, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Ok, so Mr. Ozurdex is doing well. What about Mrs. Ozurdex? "Mrs. Ozurdex" (the names have been changed to remain HIPAA compliant) came to my office in November with complaints of sudden, painless loss of vision in her left eye. I diagnosed her with a central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO). Again, this is a different diagnosis, and problem, than diabetic retinopathy or macular … [Read more...]
“Mr. Ozurdex” is Seeing Well
January 21, 2010 By 7 Comments
Ozurdex is a new injectable drug delivery system for the eye. Over the past few months we've talked about new technology and the emergence of several sustained release drug delivery systems. About 2 weeks ago, I injected the left eye of one of my patients with Ozurdex™. Ozurdex will release a steroid, dexamethasone, for up to 6 months. The FDA approved Ozurdex for the treatment of … [Read more...]
A1C Now Used to Diagnose Diabetes
January 20, 2010 By Leave a Comment
The American Diabetes Association now recommends basing the diagnosis of diabetes upon the hemoglobin A1C levels and not on fasting glucose tests. In addition, an A1C of less than 7.0% should be the target for glucose control. How with this impact the treatment of diabetic retinopathy? The change in recommendations stems from the fact that the A1C blood test is an easier, and faster, test … [Read more...]
What Haitians Don’t See
January 19, 2010 By 1 Comment
The recent Haitian disaster underscores the quality of eye care that is available to us in the United States and other, more developed, countries. With over 80% of the country living at poverty level, a country such as Haiti can not afford to train doctors, nor afford the technology that allows us to practice modern techniques. Yes, there are still places in this world, even before natural … [Read more...]
