Randall V. Wong, M.D., Retinal Specialist
Last week another long time patient of mine (as most are with diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration) returned with complaints of the sudden onset of floaters in the left eye. The floaters had been present for about one month, they hadn't cleared and he made an appointment. I've added this illustration that resembles what I saw after dilating his pupils. … [Read more...]
You suspect you might have macular degeneration or diabetic retinopathy. How do you choose a doctor? A little while back, I wrote about the differences between eye doctors. Now that you know the difference between an optometrist and an ophthalmologist, how do you choose which is right for you? When do you need to see a retinal specialist? Remember that … [Read more...]
This web site is for patients AND their doctors. What is the RETINA? The retina is the light sensitive tissue that lines the inside of the eye. It captures light and transmits this information to our brain to give us vision. The 3 leading causes of blindness: Macular Degeneration Diabetic Retinopathy Retinal Detachments As of August 2010, I have published … [Read more...]
Everyone gets a cataract. Just as grey hair, some people get cataracts at an early age and some people get them at a later age. Patients with diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration aren't spared either. What is a cataract? A cataract is the clouding of the natural lens in the eye. Very advanced cataracts actually are white, hence the name "cataract" to … [Read more...]
Two types of retinal detachments. One group, called rhegmatogenous retinal detachment, can occur in any one and involves the formation of a tear or hole in the retina. The second group, called traction retinal detachments, involves tissue forming on the surface of the retina and "pulling" the retina to form a detachment. This is the case with diabetic related retinal … [Read more...]
November, 2009, is American Diabetes Month. In my effort to support American Diabetes Month, there are a few things that every doctor should know about diabetic eye disease. The list is short and very direct. Please share this with others; especially your doctors. I have been in practice since 1993. As a retina specialist, I take care of patients with diabetic … [Read more...]
Today's post is about one of my own observations from over 15 years in practice. While it is a fact that significant vision loss from diabetes is declining, it is not widely known that there is also a very finite time where patients with diabetes can go blind, there is only a finite time while the risk of blindness is highest. In short, the chance of a diabetic patient … [Read more...]
Did you ever hear that diabetes is a disease of blood vessels? Most people think that the definition of diabetes is simply uncontrolled blood sugar, but, in reality, diabetes may be thought of as a vascular disease. Diabetes can be a very nasty disease affecting most organs in the body. Common problems caused by diabetes include peripheral neuropathy, kidney failure … [Read more...]
A new study released last week confirms that we are making terrific progress in saving sight! The incidence of severe vision loss in Type I diabetes has decreased significantly over the past 25 years. The rate of severe vision loss dropped from 1.19% in 1980-82 to 0.30% in 2005-07. Incidence: an individual's chances of developing a medical problem (e.g. severe vision … [Read more...]
Floaters are generically defined as black spots in your vision. They move to and fro with eye movement. Most of the time they are small, tiny and black, but really can be large and translucent, too. From a doctor's standpoint, size does not matter. New floaters can mean a retinal tear and the development of a retinal detachment. Floaters can develop from a … [Read more...]
I am a retina specialist (ophthalmologist) practicing in Fairfax, Virginia, just about 20 minutes from Washington D.C. I started this blog about 3 years ago and use it for educational purposes to … [Read More...]
