Articles

Eye Scan Detects Alzheimer’s Disease

A simple retina scan may soon become a non-invasive method for diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease, and those at risk.

The abnormal proteins that cause Alzheimer’s Disease can build up in the brain two decades before the onset of symptoms and researchers have been searching for ways to detect the disease sooner. Early detection could mean that medications that slow Alzheimer’s progression could be started sooner. The effectiveness of any early treatments could be monitored with eye scans.

Non-Invasive Hi-Res Imaging

Researchers at Duke University and at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found evidence that Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) scans can detect the changes in the tiny capillaries and the thinning of the retinal layers in the eye that signal the beginnings of Alzheimer’s disease.

Dr Sharon Fekrat, from Duke University Medical Centre in the US, said: “We’re measuring blood vessels that can’t be seen during a regular eye exam and we’re doing that with relatively new noninvasive technology that takes high-resolution images of very small blood vessels within the retina in just a few minutes.”

Alzheimer’s Causes Retinal Thinning

Microscopic blood vessels form a dense web at the back of the eye inside the retina. In Alzheimer’s patients, researchers saw that that web was less dense, and there was a loss of small retinal blood vessels. The retinal nerve fiber layer was also thinner in patients without Alzheimer’s disease.

Researchers think that reduced levels of acetylcholine in the brain causes some of the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. Acetylcholine is one of the neurotransmitter chemicals that nerve cells use to communicate with one another in the brain. Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors prevent the breakdown of acetylcholine and are used to boost the cell-to-cell communication that gets depleted in Alzheimer’s disease.

What is OCT?

Optical coherence tomography is a non-invasive imaging test that uses light waves to take cross-section images of the retina. An OCT shows each of the distinctive layers of the retina. The OCT produces a three-dimensional map of the eye and can show areas of the eye that are abnormal.

The images from an OCT scan are high resolution because they are based on light, rather than sound, as in an ultrasound, or radio frequency, as in an MRI. Because the OCT shows cross-sections of tissues layers, nerve fiber thickness can be measured. 

If you would like to schedule an appointment, please call us (877) 245.2020.

Nader Moinfar, M.D., M.P.H.
Retina Specialist
Orlando, FL

What Causes a Macular Hole?

Retinal surgery sometimes uses injection of gas into the eye, especially when you have a macular hole.

Causes of a macular hole are discussed in this article and explained in the embedded video.

A macular hole is a hole at the very center of the retina. The retina is the layer of tissue that lines the inside of the eye and it contains millions of light-sensitive cells that receive and send visual information to the brain.

The macula portion of the retina contains the highest concentration of light-sensitive cells and is responsible for high-resolution, detailed central vision and most of our color vision.

Holes in the macula can be caused by injury, but most macular holes occur in people over the age of 60 and are caused by the vitreous gel in the eye pulling on the macula. These are called idiopathic macular holes and are, for reasons unknown, more common in women than men.

The Role of the Vitreous in Macular Holes

The vitreous contains millions of microscopic fibers that attach to the retina. As people age the vitreous slowly shrinks and pulls away from the retina’s surface and natural fluid fills in the area where the vitreous contracted. This is normal and usually causes no problems beyond possibly seeing “floaters” in your visual field from time to time.

However, in some cases the vitreous is so firmly attached to the retina that when it pulls away it can tear the retina slightly and cause a hole to form. Small holes sometimes heal on their own, but they can also gradually increase in size causing vision loss.

Other Causes of Macular Hole

The following additional conditions can cause a macular hole to develop:

  • Blunt trauma to the eye
  • Diabetic eye disease 
  • High degree of myopia (nearsightedness)
  • Macular pucker—caused by scar tissue on the macula

Symptoms of a Macular Hole

In the early stages there may be a slight distortion or blurriness in central vision. As the hole increases in size, straight lines and objects look bent or wavy, vision becomes increasingly blurrier and a dark spot may appear in the center of your vision.

Treatment of Macular Holes

A surgery to remove the vitreous gel (vitrectomy) and prevent it from continuing to pull on the retina is currently the best way to repair a macular hole. After the removal of the vitreous gel, a bubble containing a mixture of air and gas is put into the eye to prevent subretinal fluid from seeping behind your retina and destabilizing the healing process.

The gas bubble will slowly dissipate and be replaced with aqueous humor produced by your eye. You may be asked to keep your head in a face-down position for several days to keep the bubble in place. CAUTION: As long as any of the gas bubble remains in your eye you must not fly in an airplane because the bubble can expand in the reduced pressure of the cabin causing severe pain and possible loss of sight.

Another potential treatment for some patients with macular holes is the injection of an antiplasmin inhibitor that inactivates plasmin, an enzyme that breaks down the fibrin in blood clots.

Success Rate

The vitrectomy success rate is over 90% with patients regaining most of their lost vision. The gas bubble starts to shrink 7 to 10 days after the vitrectomy, but it takes about 6 to 8 weeks for the gas bubble to be totally absorbed. Vision will continue to improve during that 6 to 8 week time.

Complications

In less than 10% of cases the vitrectomy may cause cataract formation, retinal detachment, infection, glaucoma, bleeding or a re-opening of the macular hole. 

Nader Moinfar, M.D., M.P.H.
Retina Specialist
Orlando, FL

If you would like to schedule an appointment, please call us (877) 245.2020.

Should You Be Taking Vitamins for AMD?

Are these vitamins for you? Here’s who benefits the most and who shoujld be taking them.

Do you take vitamins for AMD?

The National Eye Institute conducted the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) and AREDS2 to study both cataract and age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The study followed participants for five years and tested whether taking nutritional supplements (vitamins for AMD) could prevent or slow these two eye diseases.

AREDS Results

At the end of the five-year study, the scientists found that people at high risk for developing advanced AMD—those with intermediate AMD, and those with advanced AMD in one eye only—reduced their risk of developing advanced by about 25 percent when treated with the combination of antioxidants and zinc + copper. 

The AREDS formula also reduced the risk of central vision loss by 19% in the same group. None of the formulations decreased cataract risk.

Who Benefits the Most?

The study found that those who benefit most from taking vitamins for AMD are people at high risk for developing macular degeneration and who meet these two conditions:

  • Intermediate AMD in one or both eyes
  • Advanced AMD in only one eye

AREDS Vitamins for AMD

The AREDS 2 vitamins do not contain beta carotene because in the study researchers found that beta carotene in high amounts was associated with an increased risk of lung cancer in current and former smokers.

You can purchase AREDS 2 vitamins or take the supplements separately. The following is the AREDS 2 formulation:

  •  Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) 500 mg
  • Vitamin E 400 international units (IU)
  • Lutein 10 mg
  • Zeaxanthin 2 mg
  • Zinc (as zinc oxide) 80 mg 
  • Copper (as cupric oxide) 2 mg

Healthy Foods

Taking vitamins is just one step in creating a healthy environment for your eyes. Eating a healthy diet is an essential second step. Include lots of dark leafy greens, like spinach and kale, along with other colorful vegetables and fruits. Colorful vegetables and fruits provide a wide range of phytonutrients along with carotenoids that your body converts into vitamin A.  

Smoking puts you at a higher risk for AMD, so if you smoke, then stopping will be another step toward eye health.

Consult Your Doctor

Talk with your eye doctor about your primary care physician about how taking the AREDS or AREDS 2 vitamins will affect you.  

Nader Moinfar, M.D., M.P.H.
Retina Specialist
Orlando, FL

If you would like to schedule an appointment, please call us (877) 245.2020.

Causes of Distorted Vision

What’s the difference between blurry and distorted vision? Here are some causes.

Distorted vision is not the same as blurry vision. Visual distortion causes the straight edges of things and straight lines on paper to appear wavy and it causes objects to appear bent or misshapen.

Visual distortion can be caused by eye diseases, injury to the eye, eye infection, or inflammation. It could be caused by abnormal blood vessels that are leaking under the retina and affecting the macula—the part of the retina at the back of the eye that has a very high concentration of photoreceptor cells and that is responsible for our central vision.

In diabetics, increased blood sugar can cause the lenses of the eyes to swell with fluid and cause visual distortion. In people with age-related macular degeneration, it could signal that dry macular degeneration has become “wet” macular degeneration.

Because it could signal serious eye conditions, always see an eye care professional when you experience visual distortions. 

Common Diagnostic Exams

The exact cause of distorted vision must be diagnosed so the proper treatment can be started. A dilated eye exam along with specialized medical imaging techniques are used to diagnose the cause of visual distortion.

Dilated eye exam. Dilating the pupil allows the doctor to closely examine the condition of the macula and detect the presence of blood vessel leakage or cysts.

Optical coherence tomography. This type of imaging captures detailed microscopic views of the cell layers inside the retina. It detects the thickness of the retina, making it useful in determining the amount of swelling in the macula.

Fluorescein angiogram. In this test, a special dye is injected into your arm and a camera takes photos of the retina as the dye travels through the blood vessels. This test helps your ophthalmologist identify the leaking blood vessels and the amount of damage they have done to the macula.

Monitoring Your Vision at Home

The Amsler Grid. The Amsler Grid is a good way to test the functioning of your macula by detecting visual distortions. If you have a pre-existing condition that can affect your vision, using an Amsler Grid daily can help you detect the first signs of visual distortion that signal eye involvement. 

AMSLER GRID

INSTRUCTIONS FOR HOME USE:  Wear glasses if you need them and look at the Amsler Grid from about 14 inches away. Test both eyes, one at a time, to see if any parts of the grid look distorted, missing, or dark. Mark the areas of the chart that you’re not seeing properly and bring it with you to your eye exam.

Treatments

There is no single treatment for the various causes of distortion. The exact cause will dictate possible therapeutic options.

If you are experiencing distortion, especially if it of recent onset, please contact your eye doctor.

If you would like to schedule an appointment, please call us (877) 245.2020.

Nader Moinfar, M.D., M.P.H.
Retina Specialist
Orlando, FL

Diabetic Retinopathy: Your Risk Factors

If you have diabetes, what’s your risk of developing diabetic retinopathy?

What’s your risk of developing diabetic retinopathy?

Diabetic retinopathy is the most common diabetic eye disease and a leading cause of blindness in American adults.  

Anyone with type 1 or type 2 diabetes can develop diabetic retinopathy, but your risk of developing diabetic retinopathy increases the longer you have diabetes.

According to the National Eye Institute, 2 in 5 Americans with diabetes have some stage of diabetic retinopathy. But you can lower your risk of developing diabetic retinopathy by controlling your blood sugar levels.

Women who develop gestational diabetes are at high risk for developing diabetic retinopathy. If you are diabetic and are pregnant, have a comprehensive dilated eye exam as soon as possible. Ask your doctor if you will need additional eye exams during your pregnancy.

Major Risk Factors:

  • Long-duration of diabetes (10+ years)
  • Poor blood sugar and blood pressure control

Additional Risk Factors:

  • Becoming pregnant if you are diabetic or developing gestational diabetes during a pregnancy
  • Having diabetes and being African-American, Hispanic, or Native American
  • High cholesterol
  • Smoking

Complications 

Retinal detachment. Diabetic retinopathy causes an abnormal growth of blood vessels which can also produce scar tissue. The scar tissue can pull the retina away from the back of the eye. This may cause spots that float in your vision, flashes of light, or a loss of vision. 

Glaucoma. The abnormal blood vessels may grow in the front part of your eye and interfere with the normal flow of fluid out of the eye and cause excessive eye pressure. Over time this pressure can damage the optic nerve that carries images from your eyes to your brain.

Vitreous hemorrhage. The abnormal blood vessels can also bleed into the clear, jelly-like substance that fills the center of your eye. If there is only a small amount of bleeding you will see a few dark spots (floaters). If the bleeding is severe it can fill the vitreous and block your vision.

Unless your retina is damaged, the blood will clear from your eye in a few weeks. The blood often clears from the eye within a few weeks or months. Unless your retina is damaged, your vision will return to normal.

Blindness. Left untreated, diabetic retinopathy can lead to complete vision loss.

Preventions

Control your blood sugar. You can help control your blood sugar by making healthy food choices and getting at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise each week. That amount of exercise could be accomplished by taking a brisk 30-minute walk 5 times a week. Make sure you take any diabetes medication as directed.

Monitor your blood sugar. Ask your doctor how frequently you should test your blood sugar. You may need to do so several times a day.

Get an A1c test. The A1c test will show you and your doctor your average blood sugar level for a two-to-three-month period. This monitoring will help you learn if your diabetes has been under good control and help you and your doctor make beneficial changes to your diet or medications if needed.

Keep your blood pressure and cholesterol under control. Eating a healthy diet, regular exercise and losing weight can help. You may also need some medications.

Get a comprehensive dilated eye exam at least once a year. Regularly monitoring the health of your eyes allows your eye doctor to start treatment before in the early stage of diabetic retinopathy any complications develop.

Don’t smoke. Smoking increases your risk of developing diabetic retinopathy and other complications of diabetes.  

If you would like to schedule an appointment, please call us (877) 245.2020.

Nader Moinfar, M.D., M.P.H.
Retina Specialist
Orlando, FL

Diabetes: You Can Take Charge

November is Diabetes Awareness. Newly diagnosed with diabetes or know someone? Share this article.

Diabetes is a serious life-long condition, but there’s a lot you can do to protect your health. If you have been newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes or prediabetes, this article offers you tips for managing your diabetes.

Overtime complications of diabetes caused by uncontrolled blood sugar can develop in the eyes (diabetic retinopathy), the kidneys (diabetic nephropathy), and the feet (diabetic neuropathy). Those three areas all receive their blood supply from tiny blood vessels called microvasculature that are susceptible to damage from high blood sugar levels.  

However, when blood sugar is well controlled the rate of complications falls. A 1% decrease in the A1c test that is maintained decreases your risk of microvascular complications by about 37%.

Taking care of your diabetes or prediabetes right after diagnosis will pay off in your long-term health.

Managing Your Type 2 Diabetes

The following steps will help keep your blood sugar levels closer to normal and maintaining close-to-normal blood sugar levels can delay or prevent diabetic complications:

  • Weight loss and maintenance of the weight loss
  • Healthy diet
  • Regular exercise
  • Blood sugar monitoring
  • Using diabetes medications as prescribed

Watch your diet

There is no “diabetes diet”, but making efforts each day to take the following steps will help put you on the right track for lowering your blood sugar levels:

  • Eat more fruits and vegetables
  • Eat more foods high in fiber
  • Eat fewer refined carbohydrates, such as white bread, white rice, pastries, pancakes, and crackers
  • Eat fewer saturated fats, such as fatty cuts of beef, pork, and lamb, processed meats, butter and full-fat dairy
  • Eat fewer overall calories

You don’t have to entirely cut out foods high in saturated fats, but you should limit your consumption. Check labels and choose foods that have more unsaturated than saturated fats. 

Fatty fish such as salmon, tuna, sardines, mackerel, herring, and trout are good sources of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids and are a healthy addition to your diet.   

Get Moving

Fitness is an important aspect of managing type 2 diabetes. It can be walking, bike riding, or swimming laps, but the key is to find activities you enjoy and will keep doing. 

Just 30 minutes a day of exercise will, in time, decrease your blood sugar levels, increase your cardiovascular fitness, strengthen your bones, reduce excess body fat, and boost muscle power. Walking will also improve your mood especially if you walk in an area with some greenery or water.

Monitor Your Glucose         

Frequently check your blood sugar levels. Doing so can help you see which foods or activities trigger blood sugar highs or lows. Keep your food and activity consistent and test your blood sugar and look for patterns over 2 to 3 days. The goal is to find the insulin dose that keeps your blood sugar levels stable without causing a low.

Have regular A1c tests that will assess your average blood sugar level for the past 2-to-3 months.

Your blood sugar monitoring schedule is individual to you and should be set according to your needs and under the supervision of your doctor.

Connect with a Diabetes Care and Education Specialist

Diabetes care and education specialists are certified healthcare professionals with specialized knowledge in diabetes self-management and care. They will help you chart and then monitor the best diabetes healthcare course for your situation.

Visits to accredited diabetes education specialists are covered by most insurance plans and by Medicare Part B. You can locate an accredited diabetes education program by clicking here.

If you would like to schedule an appointment, please call us (877) 245.2020.

Nader Moinfar, M.D., M.P.H.
Retina Specialist
Orlando, FL

Saving Your Vision: Diabetic Retinopathy

November is National Diabetes Awareness month.

If you have diabetes, take a few minutes to learn about diabetic retinopathy and how you can take steps to help keep your eyes healthy.

Diabetic retinopathy is the most common cause of vision impairment and blindness among working-age adults in the U.S. It occurs when high blood glucose levels damage the blood vessels at the back of the eye causing them to become weak and leaky and damage the retina.

If not found and treated early, diabetic retinopathy can cause permanent vision loss. That’s why it is important to manage your diabetes and stay alert to the early signs and symptoms of diabetic retinopathy.

Types of Diabetic Retinopathy

There are two main types of diabetic retinopathy—NPDR (non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy) and PDR (proliferative diabetic retinopathy). The “proliferative” refers to new blood vessel growth, so in non-proliferative, there is not yet new blood vessel growth.   

NPDR is the early stage of diabetic retinopathy. At this stage, high glucose levels have weakened the blood vessels and, in time, may cause bulges in the weakened vessels (microaneurysms) that may leak fluid into the retina and the leakage may swell the macula or some blood vessels may begin to close. So this is an ongoing disease cycle that can be slowed or stopped if caught early.

PDR is the more advanced stage of diabetic retinopathy. The NPDR has weakened the blood vessels or closed them, so new blood vessels have grown in an attempt to supply oxygen to the retina, but these new vessels are fragile, and they leak and damage the retina. 

PDR can lead to vitreous hemorrhage, traction retinal detachment, or neovascular glaucoma.

Stay Alert

Anyone with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, or women who have gestational diabetes during pregnancy, can develop diabetic retinopathy. The risk increases when blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels are not under control.

In the early stages diabetic retinopathy may not have symptoms, so it’s important to have a comprehensive dilated eye exam once a year. That way diabetic retinopathy can be diagnosed and treated before symptoms appear.   

Symptoms that indicate diabetic retinopathy has progressed are:

  • Blurry vision
  • Vision that goes from blurry to clear
  • Increased number of floaters
  • Poor night vision
  • Spots or blank areas in your central vision
  • Colors appear faded

Diabetic Retinopathy Treatment

The best treatment happens before you develop symptoms. Strict control of your blood sugar will significantly reduce your risk of vision loss from diabetic retinopathy. If you have high blood pressure and kidney problems, make sure those are kept under control too.

Injections in the eye of anti-VEGF medication can stop the growth of new blood vessels. VEGF stands for vascular endothelial growth factor, and it is a signal protein your body produces that stimulates new blood vessel formation, but the new vessels are weak and leaking vessels that damage your eyes, and anti-VEGF injections will stop that abnormal blood vessel growth.

Laser surgery and vitrectomy are other treatments for advanced PDR. But the most important thing to remember if you have diabetes, is that control of your blood sugar and early diagnosis and treatment of diabetic retinopathy are the best protections against vision loss.

If you would like to schedule an appointment, please call us (877) 245.2020.

Nader Moinfar, M.D., M.P.H.
Retina Specialist
Orlando, FL

Diabetes Awareness: A Look Back And Ahead

November is diabetes awareness month. Read this article to raise your own diabetes aware and share it with others.

November is Diabetes Awareness Month and World Diabetes Day is November 14, the birthday of the man credited with the discovery of insulin—Frederick Banting.

Diabetes is a chronic, metabolic disease which can lead, over time, to serious damage to the heart, blood vessels, eyes, kidneys, and nerves. Diabetes awareness aims to improve understanding of this disease within your family and your community.

An estimated 34.3 million Americans, 10.5%, have diabetes according to the CDC’s National Diabetes Statistics Report, 2020 and 88 million adults, approximately 1 in 3, have prediabetes. New diagnosed cases for both type 1 and type 2 diabetes are on the rise for U.S. youths.  

Diabetic retinopathy, the disease that affects the eyes, is a leading cause of blindness, yet vision loss can be prevented.

A Look Back

Fredrick Banting was a Canadian orthopedic surgeon who was fascinated with the published research into the role of the pancreas in diabetes. In 1901 it was discovered that the pancreas produces insulin from a collection of cells known as the Islets of Langerhans, which are  irregularly shaped patches of endocrine tissue located within the pancreas.  

The problem Banting wanted to solve was extracting the insulin from the pancreas. Many attempts had been made, but all of them had failed.

Banting had an idea but had no research experience and needed help. He convinced the head of the University of Toronto to give him a laboratory and a research assistant.  Banting and his research assistant, Charles Best, started work on May 17, 1921. James Collip, an experienced Canadian biochemist, was asked to join Banting and Best in December 1921 to purify their insulin extract.  

On January 23, 1922, a 14-year-old boy, Lenard Thompson, became the first person to receive an insulin injection as treatment for diabetes. By 1923 insulin was widely available and a diagnosis of diabetes was no longer an immediate death sentence.

Insulin from cattle and pigs was used for many years, but it could cause allergic reactions in some patients. In 1978 recombinant DNA technology made it possible to insert a human gene into a common bacterium so it will produce the protein (insulin) encoded by the human gene. The insulin is extracted from the bacteria and purified.

Today and a Look Ahead

Diabetes is now a manageable disease and the technology for managing it is constantly evolving.  The American Diabetes Association (ADA) has a Device Technology section on its website that describes and explains continuous glucose monitoring devices, glucose meters, and insulin pumps.

On the ADA website you also can find a Diabetes Education Program. These programs are located throughout the U.S. and the educators in the programs work with diabetics to give them the information, skills, and resources they need to successfully manage their diabetes. Medicare and most insurance plans cover these diabetes education programs.

On September 28, 2016 the FDA approved the first artificial pancreas device system. It works by inserting a very tiny sensor under the skin, usually on the stomach or arm, that measures the glucose fluid in the fluid between cells every few minutes and sends this information to an insulin pump attached to the body that, when needed, delivers the right amount of insulin. In this way insulin is released throughout the day as a natural pancreas would.

Islet cell transplants are in the experimental phase and being done in 17 centers around the country that are participating in islet cell research programs. The challenges the researcher face are methods for collecting enough islet cells for a transplant and preventing rejection of the transplant.

What Can You Do?

Improve your own diabetes awareness.

Living with diabetes is now easier than ever before. Share this information with your friends and family to raise their level of knowledge and understanding of this disease.

No matter what, every patient with diabetes needs to have their eyes examined yearly. Severe vision loss and blindness can be prevented, but only with timely and regular examination.

If you would like to schedule an appointment, please call us (877) 245.2020.

Nader Moinfar, M.D., M.P.H.
Retina Specialist
Orlando, FL

Gas Bubbles and Retina Surgery

Not all retina surgery requires a gas bubble, but here’s when it is necessary for your retina specialist to use a gas.

Not all retina surgery requires injection of a gas bubble.

To safely work on the retina, your retina specialist must be able to safely access the inner layer of the eye. A vitrectomy, the procedure to remove the vitreous, allows the retina specialist specialist to work on the retina. 

A vitrectomy (removal of the vitreous humor gel) is done for the following conditions:

The Gas Bubble

A tamponade in medical terms is something used to close or block a wound or body cavity to stop bleeding or fluid leakage.

Not all retina surgery requires gas to be injected into the eye. The most common use of gas is for repair of a retinal detachment or macular hole. In the case of the retinal detachment (specifically a rhegmatogenous retinal detachment which is caused by a retinal tear or retinal hole), the gas is used to block (tamponade) the migration of fluid to through the tear to underneath the retina.

In the case of a macular hole, the gas is used to allow the hole to slide closed by surface tension.

The gases commonly used are sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) and perfluoropropane (C3F8), and air. Each of the gases dissipates and is replaced by natural fluid, but the time for complete dissipation varies. Air dissipates and is replaced by natural fluid in 5 to 7 days. Sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) dissipates in 10 to 14 days, and perfluoropropane (C3F8), in 55 to 65 days.

The gas bubble blurs your vision while it is in place. As the bubble dissipates you will see a line across your vision where the gas meets the newly forming fluid which is gradually replacing the bubble. The line will move lower each day and your field of vision will get larger as the natural fluid continues to replace the bubble.

As long as any of the gas bubble remains in your eye you must not fly in an airplane because the bubble can expand in the reduced pressure of the cabin causing severe pain and possible loss of sight.

Head Position

Your surgeon will ask you to position yourself in a specific way during healing and that position is dependent on what part of the retina was repaired.

In cases of macular holes, a face down position is common. Head positioning for retinal detachments depends upon the location of the retinal tear(s).

Gas Bubble Injected Last

Most retina surgery is outpatient surgery and can be done under local anesthetic and mild sedation. The sedation is given by IV and is used for anxiety relief and to put you into a relaxed and sleepy state, known as a “twilight state”. In that state you are conscious and still able to hear and follow simple instructions from your surgeon.

General anesthesia can be used for patients with dementia, severe anxiety, or young children.

Most retina surgeries take less than an hour and some less than 30 minutes. The gas bubble is injected as one of the last steps of the surgery.

Recovery

You will have to wear an eye patch for a day or two following surgery. Recovery time depends on the procedure you had, but is generally two to four weeks. An exception is the repair of a complete retinal detachment which could take several months to heal and for vision to stabilize.

If you would like to schedule an appointment, please call us (877) 245.2020.

Nader Moinfar, M.D., M.P.H.
Retina Specialist
Orlando, FL

Eating Carrots to Improve Your Eye Health

Do carrots really help your vision? Here’s how carrots improve your eye health.

Getting enough vitamin A is essential to maintain eye health and carrots are an excellent natural source of vitamin A, but eating a diet overloaded with carrots or other sources of vitamin A won’t improve your eyesight.

Eye health and good eyesight are different things. Healthy eyes can still need glasses to clearly focus on near or far objects because the shape of the cornea or the eyeball causes nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism.  No amount of vitamin A will change that.

Vitamin A and Eye Health

Vitamin A is converted into rhodopsin, the photopigment in the rods of your retina that enable vision in low-light. In humans and many animals rhodopsin is required for vision in dim light. 

Rhodopsin converts light into electrical nerve signals within the photoreceptor rods and those electrical signals are sent to the brain via the optic nerve. 

Vitamin A also supports the healthy functioning of the eye’s conjunctival membranes and the corneas.

Vitamin A deficiencies are rare in the U.S. and other developed countries. Most diets in developed countries contain adequate amounts of vitamin A and vitamin A can be stored by the body in the liver. 

Excellent Sources of Vitamin A

Sweet potatoes, spinach, pumpkin, carrots, milk, cheese, cantaloupe, mangos, eggs, and sweet red peppers are all excellent sources of vitamin A.

Vitamins and Oxidative Stress

The human body produces oxygen-derived free radicals as part of the metabolic process, part of breathing and burning energy, and free radicals are essential to life, but their number must be balanced out with antioxidants for optimal health.

A diet rich in antioxidants such as vitamins A, E, and carotenoids such as beta carotene, lycopene, and lutein will help your body scavenge free radicals, terminating their chain reactions before they cause cellular damage.

There is a peptide (glutathione) and some antioxidant enzymes produced by the body specifically to scavenge free radicals, but consuming a diet of antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables, will also be a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, so eating lots of high-antioxidant fruits and vegetables will not only add to your body’s antioxidant levels, but give your overall health a boost.  

If you would like to schedule an appointment, please call us (877) 245.2020.

Nader Moinfar, M.D., M.P.H.
Retina Specialist
Orlando, FL

Jon Doe