Retinal and macular diseases

Symptoms

Diseases of the retina are summarised under the medical term retinopathy. Today, ophthalmologists are fortunately able to detect a retinal disease – even before the patient themselves notices it – and thus treat it in good time to avoid irreparable damage to the eye. The following signs and complaints indicate a retinal disease: 

• Blurred vision or deterioration of vision, (partial) loss of vision, distorted vision, seeing waves, flashes of light and flickering in the field of vision 
• Large dark or black spots in front of the eyes 
• Shadows in field of vision 
• Restricted field of vision 
• Impaired night vision 
• Difficulties reading, feeling of “fixing” the eyes next to what you are reading in order to read it 
• Particular sensitivity to light 

Diagnosis

As many retinal diseases are usually present for a long time without any symptoms, possible diseases are often diagnosed and treated very late. For this reason, regular ophthalmological check-ups are recommended to rule out all eventualities, especially if there is a history of these kinds of problems in the patient’s family. 

Depending on the type of retinal diseases, the disease sooner or later becomes noticeable in the form of visual impairment. In this case: The earlier a pathological change is detected in the eye, the greater the chance of successful treatment. Thanks to modern diagnostics, it is now possible to produce high-resolution images of underlying tissue. This means pathological changes in the retina and macula can be detected at an early stage. The following methods are used to diagnose a retinal disease: 

• Eye test: may provide information in the case of a possible retinal disease. 
• Retinal examination: using a slit lamp and a special magnifying glass, an experienced retina specialist can assess the retina well. This allows a targeted decision to be made as to whether further investigations are necessary and, if so, which ones. 
• Optical coherence tomography (OCT) : this is a non-invasive examination that makes it possible to visualise the macula and the optic nerve in order to detect any damage. The examination works similarly to an ultrasound but with light waves instead of sound waves, where an image is digitally displayed by converting evaluated light pulses) 
• OCT angiography (OCTA) : this is also a non-invasive examination and makes it possible to visualise the retina’s vessels in order to be able to identify vessels with no or poor blood supply. 
• Fluorescein angiography: conventional vascular examination using fluorescent dye. It is an invasive ophthalmological examination. A fluorescent dye is introduced into the bloodstream via an access point in a vein in the arm. A special camera detects this dye in the retina. This makes it easy to identify vessels that are not or only poorly supplied with blood. 
• Ultrasound: ultrasound diagnostics can provide important insights as changes in the interior of the eye can be easily seen and diagnosed. 

Aftercare

In the case of diseases of the retina and/or macula, it is advisable to have regular check-ups with an ophthalmologist. Especially after laser or injection therapy, the ophthalmologist should be consulted again to determine whether the drug therapy is actually working.