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The eye is a complex instrument and is sensitive to the changing human condition brought about by disease, injury or simply the process of aging. In addition to the more commonly known retinal afflictions, there are a variety of other conditions that may require special diagnosis and treatment. Some of these conditions are listed below.

Adult Vitelliform Dystrophy - Affects the layer of pigment beneath the retina.  Appears in both eyes usually in patients above the age of 50. Often mistaken for macular degeneration.

Angioid Streaks - Affects one of the layers beneath the retina known as Bruch's membrane. Often found in different systemic conditions including sickle cell disease.

Central and Branch Artery Occlusion - Essentially a stroke or blockage of the artery that feeds blood to the retina, usually the result of an embolism or clot. Causes severe vision loss in the affected eye.

Central Serous Retinopathy - Fluid leaking into the macula from the deeper layer of blood vessels underlying the retina. The cause is not completely known but believed by many to be related to stress.   However, stress is not the only consideration. This disorder can also be associated with steroid usage.

Choroidal Nevus - A nevus, just like a mole or beauty mark found on the skin, can be found in the eye during a routine examination. Does not usually affect vision, but should be monitored to insure it does not become cancerous, a rare occurrence.

Cystoid Macular Edema (CME) - A swelling of the macula, the part of the eye responsible for detailed sight, which can lead to blurred vision. CME may be associated with a wide variety of ocular disorders. Can be left to resolve itself or treated by eyedrops or injections.

Endophthalmitis - A severe inflammation caused by infection either from internal or external sources. Very rare, but serious in that it can cause permanent loss of vision.

High Myopia - Extreme nearsightedness that most often can be corrected by glasses, contact lenses or surgery. However, in rare cases can lead to retinal detachment or the abnormal growth of additional blood vessels and scarring of the retina. New treatments are proving effective in preventing the progressive loss of vision in many of these cases.

Idiopathic Juxtafoveal Telangiectasia - Occurs when abnormal retinal blood vessels form close to the center of the macula and can leak causing swelling. Distinct from macular degeneration, the patient's vision may remain stable and fairly good. Laser surgery is not effective but there is evidence that new drugs may be beneficial in certain cases.

Lattice Degeneration & Atrophic Retinal Holes - Localized thinning of the peripheral retina usually developing at birth or at an early age, but often remaining stable through the life of the patient.  Needs to be watched and managed because lattice degeneration is associated with a somewhat higher risk of retinal detachment.

Malignant Choroidal Melanoma - Cancer of the pigmented cells in the back of the eye, and potentially fatal. Formerly treated by removal of the eye, but targeted radiation treatment has often proved effective, including the insertion of a radioactive pellet or seed. Other treatment options are also available in selected cases.

Ocular Histoplasmosis Syndrome - A condition caused by an organism commonly found in states ranging from Arkansas to Maryland, and from Texas to Ohio. Causes small areas of inflammation or scarring of the retina. These areas of scarring can lead to retinal swelling and damage to adjacent retina. Peripheral scars may have little effect on vision, while a scar in the center of the macula could cause a permanent blind spot. These scars occur early in life and become dormant. However, usually in young adulthood new blood vessels can grow from these scars, causing a situation similar to wet AMD. The treatment of these growing blood vessels is similar to the treatment for wet AMD.

Polypoidal Choroidal Neovascularization - Lesions formed when abnormal blood vessels grow and come together underneath the retina. Most often occurring in Asian or African American patients, but also to Caucasians and persons older than 55. Often treated similarly to macular degeneration.

Posterior Vitreous Detachment (PVD) - Occurs during aging when the gel-like substance that fills the eye, called the vitreous, shrinks and pulls away from the retina. Spots or floaters may be experience by a person having a Posterior Vitreous Detachment.  As the vitreous detaches it may pull on the retina resulting in a retinal tear or a retinal detachment. Since both of these resultant conditions require prompt treatment, anyone experiencing the above symptoms should be examined promptly by a retinal specialists. Physicians at NRI are on-call 24/7 if such symptoms develop.

Proliferative Vitreoretinopathy - The most common complication following retinal detachment, usually  occurring in 5-10% of cases. It is scar tissue that can pull on the retina and can cause additional retinal tears or possibly another retinal detachment. Surgery can again be required with small instruments used to peel the tissue away from the retina and with lasers to seal any holes that may have occurred. Often silicone oil is injected into the eye to keep the retina attached.

Retinal Arterial Macroaneurysm - Likely occurring in elderly patients with high blood pressure, it is the localized enlargement of a retinal artery among the vast network of vessels that supply blood to the retina. A majority of patients may remain without adverse symptoms although sudden blurring of vision could occur in some. Surgery is only required if a large amount of blood collects in the vitreous or under the retina.

Retinal Tears - Occur for a number of reasons, including aging, when the pulling away of the vitreous from the retina during a Posterior Vitreous Detachment causes tearing of the retina. These are a risk to vision because fluid often leeks through the tear and behind the retina resulting in retinal detachment. Retinal tears and detachments require prompt treatment. Physicians at NRI are on-call 24/7 if such symptoms develop.

Retinitis Pigmentosa & Related Disorders - Characterized by a slow degeneration of the photoreceptors or cells behind the retina that transmit impulses to the brain through the optic nerve. Often inherited, this progressive disease can be limited to the eye or related to other neurologic or metabolic diseases. Patients usually experience the gradual loss of peripheral and night vision.

Retinopathy of Prematurity - Can develop in infants born earlier than 32 weeks of gestation when the retina is not completely formed at birth. Retinal development can then be disrupted and the growth of abnormal blood vessels can result. This can cause severe vision disorders and is the reason infants born prematurely are examined by an eye specialist, with laser surgery initiated in the neonatal intensive care unit if necessary.

Retinoschisis - The splitting of the retina into two layers. Acquired retinoschisis occurs in the far periphery of the retina and rarely affects central, side or night vision. X-linked or juvenile retinoschisis is an inherited disorder in young males, and can affect central vision. When severe enough, surgery is recommended.

Sickle Cell Retinopathy - Is a result of sickle cell disease affecting people of African descent and manifests as an abnormality in the blood's hemoglobin. The effect on the retina is either proliferative, a major cause of vision loss in cases of sickle cell disease, or non-proliferative, which is often not associated with vision loss but can cause pigment changes in the retina.

Vitreomacular Traction Syndrome - Occurs when the vitreous, the gel like substance that fills the central eye, begins to age and pull away from the retina. In the majority of cases the effect is benign, but in some the vitreous sticks and pulls at the macula, causing distorted vision and the potential for retinal detachment, macular hole and other disorders.

The above is a brief synopsis of the range of other retinal diseases and disorders. For a complete information package on each, you are urged to contact us.