Randall V. Wong, M.D., Retinal Specialist
I want my patients to call me after retinal eye surgery if they develop pain and/or loss of vision. These two symptoms can be signs of either infection or retinal detachment, the two most dreaded complications of retinal surgery . Eye Infection Can Blind The most concerning post-operative complication of retinal eye surgery would be infection inside the eye. … [Read more...]
There are different types of surgery; emergency, semi-elective, elective and cosmetic. The differences lie between the timing (immediate), loss of life or function...or cost. Emergency surgery must be completed immediately to avoid death, loss of a limb or organ providing a specific function. Emergency Eye Surgery There are two situations where retina surgery is an … [Read more...]
I routinely examine patients the first day after retinal surgery. It's the shortest visit you'll ever have at my office. Surprisingly, there are very, very few things for me to check the first day after surgery. Whether you have had retinal surgery for removal of an ERM (macular pucker), repair of a macular hole, a vitrectomy for vitreous hemorrhage, floater only … [Read more...]
I had an old friend visit me this week. AB and I met when I was a young doctor in Baltimore. He was referred to me for treatment of his diabetic retinopathy. Eventually, I operated to remove a vitreous hemorrhage resulting from his proliferative diabetic retinopathy. For several years, we saw each other twice a year. He retired about 8-10 years ago and moved to … [Read more...]
We are leaving for Orlando, FL in a few days to attend the American Academy of Ophthalmology meeting. It is our industry's largest meeting of the year...worldwide. The meeting has become so large that only a certain cities can host the event; Atlanta, Dallas, Chicago, San Francisco, Las Vegas, New Orleans and Orlando. Literally tens of thousands of people will … [Read more...]
Retina surgery is painless, you remain awake and is performed on an outpatient basis. Advances in technology have decreased the length of surgery making outpatient eye surgery possible. There are two basic methods of anesthesia; awake (aka local) and asleep (aka general). Local Anesthesia with Sedation Most of my operations, either vitrectomy or scleral buckle, are … [Read more...]
The decision to stop your eye treatment for wet macular degeneration should be easy...and guilt free. The anti-VEGF injections (treatment for wet macular degeneration) require multiple injections and many trips to the office. Injections are often recommended for over a year. It can be a real hassle and becomes a hardship for the friends and family... and … [Read more...]
True sudden vision loss can occur from a variety of reasons and are considered emergencies. Most commonly retinal disease is the culprit. Almost all causes of are painless. While both macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy can lead to blindness, they both usually do so slowly. There are exceptions. Vision Loss from Diabetes Vision lost from diabetic … [Read more...]
Retinal eye surgery, either vitrectomy or scleral buckle, is usually performed while the patient is awake and as an outpatient, allowing you to go home the "same day." Usually, there is absolutely no pain with retina surgery and recovery takes place in the comfort of your own home. In most cases, operations are performed under "local sedation." This term varies, … [Read more...]
