Drusen are associated with macular degeneration but are not diagnostic of the disease. Too many feel that these "spots" are indicative of ARMD, but they can, and often are, normal. What Are These White Lesions? Drusen are white spots, or lesions, seen within the layers of the retina. There are two types; hard and soft. The differences between the two are … [Read more...]
Iluvien: New Drug for Diabetic Macular Edema
March 17, 2010 By 2 Comments
Iluvien™, a new drug for the treatment of diabetic macular edema, draws one step closer to FDA approval. Alimera Sciences/pSivida announced that Iluvien showed favorable results in two Phase 3 clinical trials. The company has announced they will file for a New Drug Application (NDA) based on the favorable results. Iluvien is a Sustained Release Drug Delivery … [Read more...]
Legal Blindness and the IRS
March 16, 2010 By 2 Comments
Legally blind vision loss can result from either diabetic retinopathy or macular degeneration. Complete blindness can result diabetic retinopathy, but not ARMD. Legally blind, or partially sighted individuals, can still "see," whereas completely blind patients see nothing. Diabetic Blindness Diabetic retinopathy can cause a spectrum of vision loss, from slightly … [Read more...]
Blurry Vision and Other Symptoms of Diabetes
March 12, 2010 By 1 Comment
Blurry vision is a common symptom of diabetes. Other diabetic symptoms include excessive thirst, frequent urination, weight loss and fatigue. Most of the symptoms are due to the lack of insulin which secondarily allows the sugar levels to sky rocket out of control. This sets up sugar gradients that cause imbalances in water distribution in the body and in different … [Read more...]
It’s Not What You Look At, It’s What You Look For
March 11, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Making a diagnosis can be difficult. Diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration are easy to diagnose, but you have to know to look for it to see it. The diagnosis then becomes pretty obvious. Knowing what to look for is essential to making a correct medical diagnosis. Retinal disease, such as ARMD and diabetic retinopathy, is easy to diagnose as we can also … [Read more...]
Mom Should Have Washed Your Eye With Soap!
March 9, 2010 By 8 Comments
Your eye is as dirty as your mouth. The bacteria found on the eyeball and in the nose and mouth are very similar. The three areas are all connected anatomically and bacteria are free to roam to and fro. While each organ does have its own particular defense system to fight infection, the eye, by no means is "clean." It's Why Your Nose Runs When You Cry When you cry, … [Read more...]
Neovascularization Causes Blindness
February 15, 2010 By 16 Comments
Both macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy can cause "blindness" from neovascularization. Both are diseases of the retina, both can lead to "blindness," both increase with age/time and both can be associated with abnormal blood vessel formation known as "neovascularization." The two diseases differ in the location of the neovascularization. Diabetic … [Read more...]
“Low Vision” Is Not “No Vision:” Part 1
January 29, 2010 By 1 Comment
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 … [Read more...]
