Dr . Usman Mahmood

The retina, a crucial layer of tissue at the back of the eye, is vital for capturing images and sending them to the brain. It can be affected by various conditions, including diabetic eye diseases, age-related macular degeneration, and retinal detachment.

Uveitis includes a range of conditions that cause inflammation in the uvea, the middle layer of the eye, which can extend to the retina. This inflammation may result from various underlying medical issues, leading to redness, pain, and blurred vision.

About Diabetic Retinopathy

Diabetic retinopathy is a complication of uncontrolled diabetes and consistently high blood sugar over several years, resulting in retinal disease, which can interfere with its ability to transmit images to the brain through the optic nerve.

Blood vessels in the retina play an important role in supplying it with oxygen and nutrients, which keep it healthy and working effectively.

Diabetic Retinopathy can result in damage to the blood vessels; these may then bleed, leak or become blocked leading to cell damage in the retina itself.

There are varying forms and levels of severity of diabetic retinopathy – for example, when the retina becomes damaged, new blood vessels may grow on it and can burst, leading to bleeding and blurred vision. If the macula (the central area of the retina) is affected – this is called Diabetic Maculopathy – the disease has reached a much more advanced and serious stage.

High blood pressure combined with diabetes leads to an even more dangerous condition.

About Retinal Detachment Surgery

Retinal detachment is a condition when the thin lining at the back of the eye (the retina) begins to come away and separate itself from the underlying wall of the eye which contains blood vessels that supply it with vital oxygen and nutrients.

If not treated promptly, retinal detachment will lead to blindness in the affected eye.

A retinal detachment is usually caused by a tear in the retina and this is termed a Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment. There are other types of retinal detachment namely Traction retinal detachment which is usually seen in advanced diabetic retinopathy and Exudative retinal detachment (usually seen in people with inflammation). It is the Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment which needs urgent surgery in most cases.

About Retinal Vein Occlusion

Blocking of the retinal vein which reduces the vision is known as Retinal Vein Occlusion. This results in the accumulation of blood (retinal hemorrhages) and fluid (macular edema) in the retina and leads to a drop in the visual acuity (clarity of vision).

About Macular Hole Surgery

If you think of your eye as a camera, the retina is like the photographic film. It is a very thin layer of tissue, which is sensitive to the image focused on it, sending the information to the brain. At the very centre of the retina is the macula. This is a very special area of the retina, which we use for reading and recognising complex shapes. Sometimes, a hole forms in the macula, which prevents it from working normally.  This affects your vision, particularly for reading and other visually demanding tasks, but it does not cause total blindness.