Vitreoretinal and Laser Surgery, Pharmacologic Retinal Treatment
Retina Learning Center
The Retina Group of New York has the experience and equipment to diagnose a remarkable number and full host of ocular and systemic diseases from our examinations and testing. Although we only treat retinal conditions, we perform full evaluations on all patients looking for the effect of known conditions and medications on the visual system and occasionally finding undiagnosed problems. The eyes are not just the window to the soul in literature but figuratively. Many neurologic, blood and cardiac diseases can have ocular findings. We can detect early systemic diseases and we frequently are the first to diagnose neurologic, metabolic, hematologic, cancer, cardiac, infectious, inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. Pregnancy can also cause acceleration of diabetic retinopathy. Drugs can have ocular side effects. Myasthenia can cause eyelid drooping or double vision. Identification of an asymptomatic Hollenhorst plaque in a retinal blood vessel or retinal blood vessel inflammation can help prevent a stroke.
Dr. Maisel represented the Foundation to Prevent Blindness helping to develop the ANSI standards for the ophthalmic industry for diagnostic testing for visual acuity, tonometers, and intraocular lens implants. There are many aspects of vision besides visual acuity at both distance and near we measure with standardized eye charts. Not only do we have a wide visual field but we are capable of stereoscopic vision and depth perception. Retina Group of New York utilizes state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment including OCT (Ocular Coherence Tomography), Fluorescein and ICG Angiography, Automated Visual Field testing, Digital Color Photography, Farnsworth-Monsell and Anomaloscopic Color Vision Testing, Dark Adaptometry, EOG (Electro-oculography), Multifocal (mfERG) and Ganzfeld ERG. We are capable of diagnosing all types of retinal conditions. We have been the first to identify in our patients a wide range of treatable cancers presenting with ocular findings including multiple myeloma, leukemia, lymphoma, and meningioma. Metabolic diseases of which patients have been unaware have included sickle cell disease, diabetes mellitus and thyroid abnormalities. Autoimmune, infectious and inflammatory disorders that can present with eye problems include lupus, Sjogren's syndrome, Lyme disease, syphilis, toxoplasmosis, toxocara canis, parasites, AIDS, cat scratch, Bechet's disease, severe sinus infections and trachoma.
The Retina Group of New York has extensive experience with the latest therapeutic modalities for a wide variety of retinal problems to restore or improve your vision. Once we diagnoses your ocular and medical problems, we can design a scientifically proven best strategy to attack the problems. Diseases and treatment responses follow predictable range of patterns and we adjust our therapies to maximize and accelerate outcomes. Our armamentarium includes lasers, cryopexy, intraocular gases, liquids and oils, vitreous and retinal surgery and pharmacologic therapy. If we can't fully restore vision, we can help patients achieve their goals with low vision and now-visual aids. Our retinal specialists are recognized experts with publications and research in a number of treatment modalities and we lectures nationally on a wide range of treatments to help educate other retinal specialists.
The Retina Group of New York has extensive experience with the latest therapeutic modalities for a wide variety of retinal problems. Our armamentarium includes lasers, cryopexy, intraocular gases, liquids and oils, vitreous and retinal surgery and pharmacologic therapy. When necessary, to restore or preserve vision, we perform as minimally invasive surgery surgery as possible. Treatments we commonly utilize include laser treatment for retinal tears and localized retinal detachment, background diabetic retinopathy, proliferative diabetic retinopathy, macroaneurysms and eccentric choroidal neovascularization. We perform repair of retinal detachments with the best appropriate treatments including cryopexy, pneumatic retinopexy, scleral buckles, and small guage vitrectomy. We are experts utilizing surgical adjuncts of a variety of intraocular gases, heavy perfluorocarbon liquids and silicone oil. We handle a variety of traumatic injuries such as ruptured globes, blunt injuries, intraocular foreign bodies,cataract surgery complications such as retained cataract and dislocated IOL (Intraocular Lens Implant), endophthalmitis and glaucoma surgery complications. We frequently operate with other ophthalmologists on complex cases requiring retinal surgical skills.
The Retina Group of New York offers a collection of readily understandable facts, illustrations and videos on this section of our website about causes, symptoms, risk factors, diagnostic testing, treatment, and prognosis of a wide array of retinal conditions.
Understanding retina health
The retina is like the film in a camera composed of light-sensitive cells. The retina is a thin membranous lining at the back inner layer of the eye. It contains million of night vision rods and highly definition color detecting cone cells that are connected with nerve fibers within the 10 layers of the retina. These allow light entering the eye to be converted to nerve impulses that reach the brain through the optic nerve, the trunk line conducting electrical signals to the brain. The brain interprets the signals as images.
Retina diseases can effect the health of the retina in numerous ways including mechanical forces, metabolic changes, drug toxicity, circulatory changes, bleeding, infection, tumors or hereditary conditions that are present at birth or develop over time or due to aging. These conditions must be accurately diagnosed in order to apply the best scientifically proven treatments.
Diseases and conditions of the retina
To examine the retina, we dilate, or widen, the pupil of the eyes during a comprehensive examination using eye drops. This facilitates testing through the enlarged "keyhole" and examination of the entire retina lining the inner wall of the eyeball using special magnifying lenses. The dilation will reverse after several hours but you will be light sensitive and you should bring a driver. Based upon your symptoms, risk factors and examination findings, appropriate testing identifies the retinal problems. Once categorized, diseases follow a spectrum of progression and response to various treatments.