Your Vision, Our Expertise

We are in the midst of redesigning the entire website.

This celebrates our expansion with the addition of Dr. Mike Rosco. We will be broadening our topics to include all things related to the eye.

Please be aware, this site is for informational purposes ONLY and does not offer medical advice. If you are having problems with your vision or are worried, please contact your personal eye care professional.

Mike and Randy

Recent Articles

November is national diabetes awareness month. Do you know the signs of diabetic retinopathy?...

Do you eat enough carrots to improve your eye health? Does it really matter?...

Allergan gets FDA approval for this sustained release glaucoma treatment...no more drops!...

These are various surgical procedures to repair a retinal detachment. ...

Successful treatment of retinal tears prevent retinal detachment. Here's how we treat a retinal tear....

Why we don't say "thank you" today to our veterans. ...

CSR is an idiopathic swelling of the retina. In most cases, there is no long term sequelae. ...

Virginia is one of the first states to restart elective surgical procedures. Is this a return to normal?...

Here's a short list of what a retina specialist might consider an eye emergency or urgency. Stay well everyone!...

Here's why your elective surgery may be canceled. ...

The ASRS issues warning to it's members about Beovu - an anti-VEGF medication recently approved for the treatment of wet...

Here's an update on the latest facts about the new coronavirus, it's name, the disease and possible eye involvement. ...

A fluorescein angiogram is a common diagnostic test of the retina and is commonly used by a retina specialsit for these ...

An OCT, optical coherence tomography, allows the retina specialist to non-invasively detect changes in the retina common...

Here's the latest FDA treatment for wet macular degeneration. Here's why it's unique!...

Do you need eye vitamins? Here's why most people do NOT need them!...

Here's what you need to now about the dangers of blue light. ...

We are exposed to blue light from everywhere including natural light and the light emanating from all of our...devices. ...

This video was recently uploaded to my YouTube channel. I walk you through the various steps to repairing a retinal det...

Do you need to see a glaucoma specialist? Here's when I think you need to see a specialist. Share this with your frien...

Do you have glaucoma? Does a relative or friend? January is Glaucoma Awareness Month - here's what you can do to raise...

An eye scan may soon become an integral tool to the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease and those who have yet to demonstra...

CRAO is a type of retinal vascular occlusion where the central retinal artery becomes plugged by an "embolus" usually ma...

There are 4 types of vascular occlusions of the retina. Some are treatable whereas others are not so treatable. Here's...

Branch retinal vein occlusion is a more common type of retinal vascular occlusion. Treatment options are usually very s...

Laser eye surgery can mean much more than laser vision correction. How many different uses of a laser can you name?...

July has been Dry Eye Awareness month. This is the first of several articles to raise awareness of dry eye....

Ever hear of couching, the first cataract surgery? Here's a short summary of the history of cataract surgery, including...

Cataracts develop in just about everyone. Learn the most common symptoms of cataracts, cataract surgery and causes of c...

Unlucky patient has both eyes affected with a BRVO, but luckily...no vision loss!...

Laser vision correction was first performed about 30 years ago. PRK was the first procedure developed using the excimer...

This is a great picture of a vitreous hemorrhage. The blood remains trapped/loculated between the vitreous and retina a...

Blurry vision and distortion are symptoms of macular degeneration, but can also be caused by other diseases of the retin...

Drusen are not necessarily diagnostic of macular degeneration. Here's how to determine if your drusen are associated wi...

Here's some exciting news about gene therapy and a potential cure for two types of inherited blindness. One injection m...

The Great American Solar Eclipse 2017 is just around the corner.   Are you ready? Here are some quick tips you will ne...

Staring directly at the sun during an the Great American Eclipse of 2017 can cause blindness. Here's how to safely view...

Happy fourth! Please be safe, enjoy the holiday and here are a few tips to avoid eye injuries while engaging the firewo...

Did you know Alexa (Amazon Echo Dot) can read to you? Alexa can perform thousands of "skills" to aid the visually impai...

Here's a great video demonstrating a very common finding in the vitreous. Asteroid hyalosis are copious white flecks su...

This article is written by Mark Whitten, M.D. He writes about a new procedure to treat presbyopia. Imagine, no more re...

Ever wonder why Botox is so popular. It does have many medical uses, but it's a very effective and popular treatment yo...

Uveitis refers to inflammation inside the eye. This post reviews the symptoms, causes and treatment options. ...

Cataract surgery can improve your vision, allow you to work longer, have fewer car crashes...and lengthen your life. ...

Did you know that tearing is actually a common symptom of dry eye? Here's a review of the symptoms and causes of dry ey...

Do you know if you have glaucoma? How would you know? Here's a list of risk factors for developing the disease. Most ...

The Minnesota Vikings' head coach, Mike Zimmer, recently underwent several procedures for treatment of a retinal tear an...

Here's what we are doing for Thanksgiving. We are frying a turkey. What about you? I've also have so high hopes for t...

This is a guest post contributed by Alaina Kronenberg, a cataract specialists in Dearborn, MI. ...

Here's how I became a retina specialist. It involved medical school, internship and residency. I hope this is entertai...

Here's a short list of reasons why your vision may be blurry after vitrectomy surgery other than the particular reason f...

Here's an updated review of retinal detachments: signs and symptoms of retinal detachment, when to call your doctor and...

Here's an update on diabetic retinopathy. I've married the text to my latest video so you can watch, listen and read!...

Know anyone with macular degeneration? Here's a short update about the disease, symptoms and treatment....

I'm no longer at Capital Eye Consultants as of 1/1/16. I am still seeing patients at Dressler Ophthalmology (Fairfax, V...

Recent study published in Jama Ophthalmology finds Avastin is as safe as other anti-VEGF injections for treatment of wet...

Intravitreal injections (IVT) are commonly used to treat various retinal diseases. This reviews the safety aspects with...

Intravitreal injections have become the mainstay for the treatment of a variety of retinal diseases including macular de...

Ever wonder what causes and epiretinal membrane? What surgery is needed for removal of the ERM and when?...

Most of my operations are done while the patient is awake, yet comfortable. Keeping you comfortable and safe is our ma...

There's a new LONG TERM treatment for patients with diabetic macular edema. Iluvien is now available in the United Stat...

Here's a real case I faced just last week. A patient with loss of vision from bleeding in the vitreous. I never know i...

There are several ways to repair retinal detachments including vitrectomy and scleral buckle. When do I combine the pro...

What is the vitreous? It's the gel like material that fills your eye. It causes many of the retinal diseases that requ...

Intraocular gas is often used to fix some retinal problems, but keeping your head face-down is near impossible. Air may...

This is Part II of last weeks article on Finding the Best Retina Specialist. I've told you why I think it's hard, if no...

I'm not sure I could find the "best" retina specialist. "Best" means different things to different people - also, there...

Patient with legal blindness from diabetic macular edema can now read months after treatment with Ozurdex....

Eylea, Lucentis and Avastin are compared head to head. Eylea is best for patients with moderate vision loss or worse....

After a several months hiatus, we are back to writing regularly about retinal diseases, despite being hacked, a webdesig...

Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standa...

Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standa...

There are 8 defined "sub-specialties" in ophthalmology. I'm defining these by the 8 different areas that exist to tr...

I knew nothing about Ebola until I researched this post. How about you? What do you know? ...

To become a retina specialist, I completed general ophthalmology residency and then a "fellowship" in retinal diseases. ...

Here's a question about retinal detachment repair: Scleral Buckle vs Vitrectomy? Here's my feeling about this comment ...

Over the past 2 years, several new treatments have become FDA approved for treating diabetic retinopathy!...

As you remember, I became medical chair for FFB/VisionWalk, norther Virginia this year. The event was a huge success......

This is the last in a short series of fixing a retinal detachment. Using both procedures, success rate must be leverage...

When do I use vitrectomy for retinal detachment? This is a series on methods to repair retinal detachments....

Part 2 of a series on repairing a retinal detachment. Using gas, freezing or laser and head positioning, a retinal deta...

Here's the beginning of a short series on repairing a retinal detachment. The scleral buckle is the oldest, has some co...

I am chair of the 2014 Foundation Fighting Blindness (No. Va.). I'll be participating in VisionWalk. How can you help...

What's the best test to diagnose macular degeneration? A fluorescein angiogram can distinguish normal drusen from ARMD....

Geographic atrophy is an advanced form of dry ARMD. Severe vision loss can occur, but it will do so slowly. Treatments...

This article on diabetes and cataract surgery is written by Dr. Gary Foster, a cataract and laser vision specialist from...

Anisometropia can be a result of induced (created) myopia from a scleral buckle and/or cataract. If this is the case, i...

I knew nothing about Ebola. After researching for this article, I am now le...

I have started another website dedicated to the treatment of floaters. Two webinars are also scheduled for January 2014...

I just got back from teaching Young Ophthalmologists and other doctors about the need to communicate effectively, market...

Giant retinal tears usually lead to blindness. I use a combined operation with Perfluoron where this tends not to happe...

Here's a video and post about preventing the formation of a Giant Retinal Tear....in a patients other eye!...

A branch retinal vein occlusion reduces vision by causing macular edema. Treating the macular edema may improve vision....

You've been diagnosed with a "freckle." A choroidal nevus is benign and common,but malignant transformation can occur....

Most patients wait too long before considering removal of a macular pucker (epiretinal membrane). The decision should b...

The vitreous causes most surgical diseases of the retina. If everyone had a vitrectomy (to remove the vitreous), many p...

Here are few random thoughts on turning 53 and the events of the past year. Hope you are well....

I've written about another of my more elderly patients who remains independent and can read despite wet ARMD! She's 93!...

Everyone gets cataracts, even patients with diabetes. Your results will depend upon the degree of macular edema, not yo...

I am a board certified ophthalmologist. I am preparing to test for recertification to maintain this credential...but it...

Frill may develop after successful FOV, but happens only occasionally. Regardless of the cause, we need to understand e...

Bleeding on the outside of the eye is called a subconjunctival hemorrhage. Sometimes related to disease, it's common fo...

25 gauge vitrectomy has made retinal surgery much safer. The Constellation Vision System 25 gauge vitrectomy is simply ...

I have recently started treating patients with Jetrea, an FDA approved enzyme, for the treatment of vitreomacular adhesi...

There are basically two types of doctors; surgeons and non-surgeons. The basic difference is that surgeons can't change...

I got a negative review online from a frustrated patient. Here's why I think it can be a good thing....

AREDS 2 did not change any dietary or supplement (vitamin) recommendations for those with macular degeneration. The ori...

AREDS vitamins can slow down ARMD in certain patients. AREDS 2 results were just released. Not much new information, b...

Vitrectomy for macular pucker is my favorite surgery. I recommend surgery as soon as you notice changes in the vision....

25 gauge vitrectomy has advantages other than no stitches and quicker healing. Due to the thinness of the instruments, ...

The "best" treatment for wet macular degeneration is efficacious (works all the time), without complications and effecti...

Following retinal surgery, there are two particular signs of serious complications...pain and loss of vision. ...

Only certain Avastin injections have been linked to severe, potentially blinding, infections. A single compounding phar...

One of my favorite patients turns 96 next month. He still sees well, but this is more about a story of trust....and to ...

These are my recommendations to get ready for your eye surgery. Whatever you do...don't eat!...

I have finally uploaded the webinar on floaters presented on 2/5/13.  There are five parts and it includes the entire p...

Follow hockey? NHL veteran Marc Staal wasn't wearing a visor and receives a slapshot to his right eye. What are the po...

Updated by Mike Rosco, MD on 7/12/23 at 12:03 PM I believe exercise after sustaining a posterior vitreous detachment (PV...

FDA approves a new artificial retinal implant to restore limited vision in blinded patients. ...

Australian researchers claim aspirin use may cause macular degeneration. Many take aspirin to prevent heart attacks. W...

Successful treatment of diabetic macular edema is often achieved by using laser treatment for this eye disease....

Hosting my first webinar..."Evaluation and Management of Floaters." Register. I look forward to seeing you!...

Sharing information with our patients and readers is the central purpose of Retina Eye Doctor. Many of you receive an em...

Reattaching the retina is the primary goal of any retinal detachment surgery, but "success" is not defined by improvemen...

Floaters from whatever cause can be annoying and decrease vision. Floaters may be a sign of significant eye disease, bu...

Attempting to link posts with FB Page.   Randall Wong, M.D.    ...

A rare childhood eye cancer, retinoblastoma, is now the latest disease to be treated by intraocular injection....

Thank you for your help in the success of RED. I wish you all the best and thank you for your support and following....

The difference between emergency surgery and elective surgery is only the immediacy of the surgery. Loss of function ca...

  Ocriplasmin, or Jetrea,  has been FDA approved.  The drug is approved only for a retinal condition called vitre...

Your eye exam following your retinal surgery can be very brief. Believe it or not, very, very few things need to be che...

AB has been a patient of mine for almost 20 years. He's had diabetes most of his life, but recently has been losing vis...

The gold standard for treating PDR is laser photocoalugation (PRP). Avastin can chemically stop PDR, too...but is it lo...

The macula is the central portion of the retina. Disease affecting the macula may be classified by the layer they affec...

Silicone oil is commonly used to fix a retinal detachment but often the vision following its use is poor. Here are some...

I’m 52 years old this past Wednesday (9/5).  As with last year, I want to take my birthday celebration to write a...

Lucentis is now FDA approved for the treatment of diabetic retinopathy. While recently approved, this is not really a "...

Finally back from vacation. We went to Smith Mountain Lake. Kids learned how to ski, tube...and feed the carp!...

Diabetic retinopathy sometimes requires treatment with eye surgery called a vitrectomy. Surgery, however, can be avoide...

Most patients taking vitamins for macular degeneration actually don't need them. These popular vitamins are only indica...

There are only 2 emergency situations faced by a retinal surgeon. Not all retinal detachments are emergencies...most ar...

Epiretinal membranes, ERM or macular pucker are a non-blinding cause of decreased vision. The earlier the membrane is r...

The CentraSight Telescope for macular degeneration was approved by the FDA last year. It is now more widely available!...

Though legally blind from ARMD, my patient prefers the Apple iPad over the Kindle for various reasons....

A fluorescein angiogram is an invaluable test for a retina specialist. It can help diagnose almost every retinal diseas...

My website reaches people all over the world. I have international and many more national patients as a result of the p...

Video is now embedded to yesterday's video! Sorry!...

Floaters can be bothersome changes in your vision. Floater only vitrectomy, shown here, is the basic operation a retina...

Fake Avastin has now hit the US market twice in recent months. Are you getting bogus Avastin for your wet ARMD?...

Iluvien receives further European approval for the treatment of diabetic macular edema. It has yet to be approved in th...

We just got back from Chicago where we discussed what we've learned on social media and medicine. I also had an article...

We're off to Chicago this weekend to participate on a roundtable to discuss what I've learned from this blog and social ...

Sometimes macular degeneration is diagnosed just after successful cataract surgery. These disappointed patients often w...

Most of the kids are on Spring Break.  Amy and I took a few days off and are not making lots of plans, but, instead, ar...

Routine examination for retinal detachments are usually not worthwhile...even if you had a previous detachment, but if y...

Macular degeneration can only be diagnosed when there are symptoms and findings of the disease. Routine examination in ...

All patients with diabetes should get checked for diabetic retinopathy at least annually.  This recommendation is suppo...

Drusen can be normal and do not mean the development of macular degeneration. There are other criteria that are require...

Iluvien, a sustained drug delivery system for the treatment of diabetic macular edema, gets closer to medical use in Eur...

A potential new drug, ocriplasmin (microplasmin) may soon be available to chemically induce a PVD thus avoiding surgery ...

The vitreous is the culprit in just about every surgical retinal disease. A PVD is sometimes dangerous, but may prevent...

The recent report of two patients' vision improving from stem cells is very exciting. Just as exciting is the technolog...

UCLA researchers announce improvement in 2 patients receiving stem cell transplants for retinal eye diseases; macular de...

Ever want to view retinal detachment surgery? My latest video shows both a scleral buckle and vitrectomy for a retinal ...

Dear Friends, This is my favorite week of the year. I love that my older two are back from school, we have no hockey sch...

Silicone oil is often used to repair recurrent and complicated retinal detachments. Intraocular gas is often used prima...

A tear in the retina may cause a vitreous hemorrhage. A retinal tear can be treated with laser, but when too much blood...

The FDA approved Eylea as a new treatment for wet macular degeneration. Recent reports indicate the drug is similar to ...

I wish all of you (almost 10,00o uniques!) a very happy Thanksgiving! For our international readers, I’m including...

The FDA just approved yet another anti-VEGF treatment for wet macular degeneration. This one does not require monthly i...

Alimera Sciences suffers set back with Iluvien. In a complete response letter to the company, the FDA did not approve t...

We just got back from the AAO in Florida. As co-founders of our new company, we were validated beyond our expectations....

The American Academy of Ophthalmology starts this week. I will be going to learn about the latest in retinal disease, b...

While floaters are common, large floaters can be very distracting and decrease vision. Vitrectomy surgery can remove fl...

The first implantable telescope for patients with macular degeneration is now available for those eligible patients. Me...

The FDA issued an alert that 12 cases of intraocular infection were linked to Avastin. The infections; however, were li...

Today is my birthday. I decided to celebrate by writing something non-clinical yet about something I enjoy. It's about...

I started this blog 2.5 years ago. We have started a medical marketing company to teach other docs to do the same!...

VEGF Trap Eye is another anti-VEGF medication to be injected into the eye for the treatment of wet macular degeneration....

Clinical trials for RPE replacement therapy for Stargardt's disease and dry AMD have begun. The study will assess the s...

I produced my first patient education video! It is video of me performing a vitrectomy to remove an epiretinal membrane...

Though the FDA upheld its decision no longer approve Avastin for the treatment of breast cancer. The drug is still avai...

Some patients with diabetic retinopathy require two types of treatment. Should treatment for macular edema precede othe...

Ever had an eye injection that hurt? Intraocular injections of Avastin should not hurt, but if it does, ask your doctor...

Iluvien, a sustained release intraocular drug delivery system, may get closer to FDA approval. The parent company just ...

CATT trial revealed that it appears Avastin is as effective as Lucentis for the treatment of wet ARMD. They are equally...

Avastin injections for wet ARMD are as good as Lucentis. Recent study by the NEI shows the two drugs are equally effect...

A new study finds the combination of laser treatment with intraocular injections of anti-VEGF to be the best treatment f...

VEGF-Trap (aka aflibercept), another anti-VEGF drug, moves closer to FDA approval as it received “priority review&...

A new study indicates that eating one serving of fish per week may prevent macular degeneration in women! ...

Diabetic macular edema occurs in virtually every patient with diabetes. It is the most common "complication" of diabeti...

Are You Part of the Conversation? Man’s best friend? Absolutely, for me, my best friend’s name is Keno. She has been...

Macular degeneration is not inherited in the usual sense of the word, say like height. Certain people are; however, at ...

Making the diagnosis of macular degeneration is based upon your age, appearance and vision. It really doesn't matter if...

Jack LaLanne, exercise and nutrition fanatic, died last week at 96 years. What can he teach us about how we approach ou...

True double vision after retinal detachment surgery can happen, but is uncommon. Usually large changes in prescription ...

The rate of macular degeneration seems to be decreasing in the United States. This may be due to improved diets and dec...

Iluvien, a promising sustained drug delivery system for the treatment of diabetic macular edema, fails to pass FDA scrut...

The cause of flashes of light are often due to a posterior vitreous detachment, but there other possibilities, too....

Flashes and floaters are common symptoms of a retinal tear, especially after a PVD. Do persistent flashes mean you are ...

Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. gets FDA approval to use stem cells as a possible treatment for Stargardt's disease, a in...

Since last February, I've had double vision. 3 surgeries later, I am just about normal, but I've learned alot along the...

VEGF Trap-Eye is a new injectable medication that blocks VEGF for the treatment of wet macular degeneration. It may be ...

The CentraSight telescope for advanced macular degeneration has been FDA approved. Medicare still needs to decide if in...

These are the 'Top Ten" facts that every patient with diabetes should know. For instance, every patient will develop th...

In order to maintain my medical license, I must go "back to school" and take 50 hours of courses a year. I usually try ...

I just returned from Chicago where I attended the American Academy of Ophthalmology. I learned a lot about how doctors ...

Hand held magnifiers are a common low-vision aid. These magnifiers come in different powers and the user must be aware ...

I just went to both Parents' Weekends to check on my kids. While I didn't suspect any problems, I needed to make sure t...

Loss of vision may occur after successful retinal detachment surgery. Causes include a change in refraction (strength o...

Today I celebrate the birthday of a good friend, Betty. Betty is my OR nurse, but she also taught me my surgical skills...

Retinal specialists have been using intravitreal injections to treat retinal disease. Sustained release systems are gai...

Silicone oil can be used to help fix a retinal detachment. While it is not usually used as a first attempt, doctors sho...

More often than not, retinal surgery proves beneficial for the patient. Most of the time, we are successful at restorin...

Despite my best surgical efforts, many times the results of retinal surgery are less than expected. As I learned from m...

Retinal detachments can cause permanent loss of vision, but there are potential emotional and physical complications and...

I turned 50 this weekend. As I turn 50, there were some many ways I shared my bday with people I know. What it means "...

Iluvien is a type of drug delivery system that may be FDA approved for treating diabetic retinopathy. Instead of laser ...

Macular degeneration affects those over 55, those of northern European ancestry, both eyes and causes decreased vision. ...

The retina is the only part of the eye affected by diabetes. Only your eye doctor can diagnose the disease. There may ...

Most eye surgery is performed while you are awake, yet comfortable. Occasionally a sedative is needed, but general anes...

Having a blog says a lot about me. It says I am a doctor that invites communication with my patients. I even encourage...

Implantable telescope receives FDA approval for treating patients with severe vision loss from macular degneration....

Did you know that almost every diabetic patient will develop the disease regardless of sugar control? Did you know that...

Not all retinal detachments are emergency situations. While operating is almost always necessary, operating as any emer...

The Internet has become integral to every part of my college student's life. It will become the primary resource for he...

Essential fatty acids found in our diet may aid in treating macular degeneration. Leslie Degner, R.N., describes them a...

What happens when a retinal detachment isn't or cant' be fixed? Blindness is the natural history of a retinal detachmen...

Eye drops are a great way to treat your eyes. Eye drops and direct of injection of medicine into your eye are the best ...

Retinal tears can cause a retinal detachment. A posterior vitreous detachment increases the chances of getting a retina...

Iluvien nears FDA approval and is likely to be the first injectable,sustained release drug delivery system for the treat...

anti-VEGF medications are standard for the treatment of macular degeneration, but may also become very effective treatme...

Most macular degeneration is NOT inherited. The risk factors for developing the disease, however, are inherited. A tho...

Giant retinal tears are a devastating type of retinal detachment. Surgical repair is very difficult and blindness often...

Patients should stop treatment for wet macular degeneration if the treatment isn't working or the vision has not improve...

Wet macular degeneration and many cancers are now treated by anti-VEGF medications such as Avastin. Both diseases are d...

The goals of treating wet macular degeneration are just like treating cancer and are easier to understand by viewing the...

Sudden vision loss is an emergency. True sudden loss is usually painless, but causes other than the eye can cause pain....

The number of injections given for wet macular degeneration varies from doctor to doctor. There is no firm guideline fo...

Almost every cataract implant gets cloudy with time. The symptoms of blurry vision return, but the vision can be restor...

Radiation has been used before to treat wet macular degeneration. A small study combines radiation with Lucentis and re...

Sudden loss of vision from a retinal artery occlusion can mean you are at risk for a heart attack or stroke. Your eye d...

"A Retina Eye Blog" celebrates its first birthday. With over 200 articles and nearly 2000 visitors per month, we contin...

My email notification service has changed and there is a new look to the emails alerting readers of updates to my blog....

An eye patch is used after most eye surgery. It gives us some comfort, but really has no healing powers. ...

Diabetic macular edema has usually been treated with laser. Intraocular steroid injections combined with anti-VEGF medi...

Following almost any eye surgery, your doctor will prescribe a series of eye drops. These usually include an antibiotic...

Sudden loss of vision from a vitreous hemorrhage can be devastating. In cases of diabetes, however, all is not loss and...

Floaters are commonly caused by a posterior vitreous detachment, or PVD. While most floaters are simply annoying, those...

Diabetic retinopathy causes the retina to lose blood supply. A chain events causes liberation of VEGF and can lead to b...

A new study finds that by combining Lucentis with laser treatment for diabetic retinopathy results in excellent visual o...

Providing alternative sources of health information on the Internet can save time in the doctor's office and help docs s...

Retina surgery, either scleral buckle or vitrectomy, is performed while you are wide awake! It is usually painless and ...

Optometry students frequently rotate through our office.  One of our visiting students had the chance to watch me in th...

Injecting gas into the eye can fix a retinal detachment. This "in-office" procedure can be a convenient and successful ...

Vitrectomy is a common surgery performed by retinal surgeons. It may be used effectively for retinal detachment surgery...

Scleral buckle surgery has been instrumental for fixing retinal detachments for over 75 years. To me, this means the su...

A patient loses vision in one eye and develops signs of a retinal detachment in the other. Having read this blog, he kn...

Ozurdex was FDA approved for retinal vein occlusions. It releases steroids into the eye. It may now be a successful tr...

Both Avastin and Lucentis are made by the same company. Avastin is not FDA approved for the eye treatment, but why is i...

Glasses can only improve vision by ensuring that an image is focused precisely on the retina. In the presence of diseas...

Medical bloggers are usually doctors writing about medical issues. I use a blog format to teach about health. Is this ...

What is a blog? RetinaEyeDoctor.com is technically a blog, but we call it a web site. The biggest difference is that m...

Images of the world around us are actually projected upside down onto our retina. This image reversal allows us tremend...

Distortion is usually caused by retinal disease, but not necessarily from macular degeneration or diabetic retinopathy. ...

Doctors can improve the quality of the Internet. There is a shortage of credible, informative "content" on the Internet...

Drusen are white spots in the retina that are associated with macular degeneration. Drusen can also be normal for many ...

Iluvien, an injectable drug delivery system, gets one step closer to be the first drug FDA approved for the treatment of...

Diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration can both cause legal blindness. Complete blindness is caused only by diab...

Vision loss from macular degeneration increases as we age.  This means that more and more people may lose vision as the...

Common symptoms of diabetes are thirst, dehydration,weight loss, fatigue and blurry vision. These are all caused by shi...

Knowing what to look for is essential to making a correct medical diagnosis. Retinal disease, such as ARMD and diabetes...

Did you know your eye is as dirty as your mouth? The eye, nose and mouth are anatomically connected and can share bacte...

Here are 5 Things every diabetic patient should know about diabetic retinopathy and saving their sight. ...

Diabetes increases your risk of 2 types of glaucoma. The...

Mr. and Mrs. Ozurdex return after each receiving Ozurdex sustained release systems for separate retinal vein occlusions....

If surgical outcomes were successful each and every time, would a doctor need to talk to a patient?...

Eye drops for macular degeneration? Eye drops for diabetic retinopathy? Everyone wants the magic drop to cure everythi...

An authority site should be able to maximize SEO. SEO, search engine optimization, will allow potential readers to "fin...

The timing of cataract surgery is generally a personal choice depending upon your level of tolerance for blurry vision. ...

Patients use the Internet searching for health information. Doctors are afraid to provide information confusing this wi...

Getting your eyes dilated is an important part of a complete eye exam. It is the only way to directly examine a catarac...

Low vision may stop you from traditional reading, but one of my favorite patients, EJ, continues to read passionately. ...

The risks of cataract surgery and retina eye surgery include blindness from infection or retinal detachment. The chance...

There are many terms to describe swelling in macula. Usually the causes are diabetic retinopathy or macular degeneratio...

Most eye diseases, especially macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy, don't hurt. There are some eye diseases th...

There are two types of blindness; legal blindness and complete blindness. Diabetic retinopathy can cause both types of...

Neovascularization develops in both macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy. It is the neovascular tissue, or abn...

Bleeding occurs commonly in diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration. Many patients are taking blood thinners for ...

Getting drugs into the inside of the eye is very hard. Intraocular injections have become an effective way to deliver m...

Decreased vision can be from advancing retinal disease. It can also be from dry eye. Patients with retinal disease can...

The "Top Ten" of retinal emergencies is completed today. Topping the list is a type of retinal detachment. Cataract su...

Retinal eye emergencies all involve some change in vision. While not all situations are true "emergencies," acute loss ...

A retrospective study finds that Avastin is as effective in the treatment of wet macular degeneration as its counterpart...

Home monitoring using an Amsler Grid, or other means, is an essential method to detect early changes in macular degenera...

Ozurdex is an implantable, biodegradable, device that releases steroids into the eye. I inserted this device in "Mrs. O...

Dr. Chris Renner discusses an introduction to Low Vision. Low vision is a specialty that aids patients who have permane...

Signs and symptoms of macular degeneration. Signs are what a doctor finds and symptoms are what a patient notices. Not...

Pan-retinal laser photocoagulation has been the gold-standard treatment for proliferative diabetic retinopathy. Avastin...

There are many different types and ways to use lasers in eye surgery. To most, laser surgery is simply to correct the v...

A patient's account of the his first intravitreal injection of Avastin and the weeks that followed. It is interesting t...

Treating patients with Central Retinal Vein Occlusions with Ozurdex is FDA approved. The visual results are probably no...

Ozurdex has been approved for the treatment of macular swelling caused by retinal vascular problems. In my own practice...

Hemoglobin A1C values are now used to not only treat blood sugar levels, but to diagnose diabetes as well. With earlier...

Modern ophthalmology is only available to those countries that can afford the training and technology. Haitians, before...

Today is my 150th post. Today is MLK Day. He had a great dream. I've only a few ideas as I reflect on my last 9 month...

Avastin, an anti-VEGF compound, is used to treat diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration and...cancer. What is the c...

Avastin is actually not FDA approved for the eye. How is it an acceptable treatment for wet macular degeneration?...

Evidence based medicine (EBM) gives us the proof that a new drug or treatment is valid and effective. The FDA provides ...

I had a patient with sudden loss of vision. He has diabetes and I diagnosed a vitreous hemorrhage. What are the causes...

Actual case study from this morning. A patient presents with blood in the retina. What would you do?...

Smoking is reported to cause macular degeneration, but does it? This is a common source of "misinformation."...

Ophthalmic drug delivery is changing with sustained release technology. Icon Biosciences, Inc., announces their intent ...

Patients with diabetes and macular degeneration need dilated eye exams. Severe vision loss can be avoided by early diag...

Thank you for your readership and making RetinaEyeDoctor.com so successful. I wish the best for the New Year!...

Patients usually have either macular degeneration or diabetic retinopathy. Rarely both....

There are risks to every medical procedure. The risks of intravitreal injections are low, but include blindness from in...

Alimera's Iluvien proving effective in phase 3 clinical trials. Iluvien will release fluocinolone acetonide for the tre...

Ophthotec announces potential for new macular degeneration treatment. Their anti-PDGF treatment may be better than anti...

Health information on the internet is often not credible. Authority figures are scarce on the internet. I would recomm...

Retinal surgeons treat lots of trauma. Eye trauma can happen with even the simplest of toys. Even "safe" toys can be p...

Avastin, Lucentis and Macugen are effective treatments for wet macular degeneration. I prefer to using Avastin and begi...

Avastin is the now the preferred treatment for macular degeneration in many areas. It was discovered as an anti-cancer ...

Lucentis is the second anti-VEGF drug FDA approved for the treatment of wet macular degeneration. It is an effective tre...

Macugen (pegaptanib) was the first anti-VEGF intraocular injection for the treatment of wet macular degeneration. How i...

Vascular endothelial growth factor is implicated to cause loss of vision in both diabetic retinopathy and macular degene...

Manufacturers of Pycnogenol, a dietary supplement, report on the vision improvements in patients with early diabetic ret...

Vitrectomy eye surgery is commonly used to remove blood in cases of vitreous hemorrhage. It is the basic operation of a...

Treatment for wet macular degeneration has changed dramatically in just 15 years. Treatments have evolved from destroyi...

Small study shows long-lasting effects of intravitreal steroids for the treatment of diabetic macular edeam, a common co...

Vision requirements in most states require good vision in only one eye! Patients with diabetic retinopathy and macular ...

Small study reports that diabetic macular edema is better treated with intraocular injections of anti-VEGF medications. ...

Choosing the right "eye" doctor may be difficult if you have retinal disease. Who do you see, and when?...

Laser treatment for diabetic macular edema and proliferative diabetic retinopathy has been the mainstay for several deca...

Vision insurance and medical insurance gets confusing. Both deal with the eyes. If you have a medical eye disease, you...

Yesterday, I wrote a small article about the “eye” value of what we were eating for Thanksgiving.  I went o...

A review of the common foods served at Thanksgiving and nutritional value with regard to macular degeneration and diabet...

Intraocular injections are commonly used to treat macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy. anti-VEGF medications ...

New section on Diabetic Retinopathy is now complete! This section should complement the other sections and make the sit...

New section on macular degeneration should improve learning and allow more useful navigation througout the page....

This web site is for patients AND their doctors. What is the RETINA? The retina is the light sensitive tissue that lines...

The cornea is an important structure in the front of the eye. The majority of the focusing power of the eye resides in ...

There are other diseases that mimic macular degeneration that also have choroidal neovascularization and are treated in ...

All patients eventually develop cataracts. Cataract symptoms include decreased vision and glare. Cataract surgery ofte...

Many eye treatments and surgery are based upon your visual acuity but also how your vision impacts your quality of life....

Despite recent advances with the use of intraocular injections, diabetic macular edema is still best treated with laser ...

Medical blogging can be more than a doctor's commentary. It can also be used to provide credible sources of information...

Who really needs to be taking vitamins for macular degeneration? Actually very few according to the only leading studie...

How do patients cope with severe vision loss from macular degeneration?...

Though uncommon, diabetic retinal detachments can cause severe loss of vision and blindness. It is, usually, a preventa...

Sudden loss of vision may be due to bleeding inside your eye. A vitreous hemorrhage can cause loss of vision in patient...

The second part of my celebration of my 100th post to my blog. What I have learned, Part II....

A few notes about what I have learned about creating a blog during my first 100 posts....

American Diabetes Month. What every doctor should know about diabetic eye disease (read and go tell them!)....

There are several ways to measure your visual acuity. The standard, Snellen Acuity, has been in use for over 100 years....

The American Academy of Ophthalmology is holding its annual meeting right now in San Francisco. Many "researchers" will...

There are two types of "eye doctors." Optometrists and ophthalmologists are both eye doctors. The training of each is ...

Carrots and spinach are rich sources of beta-carotene. But is beta-carotene healthy?...

What is the right time to get an eye exam for diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration? Do you wait for something ...

Complete pupillary dilation is necessary for proper examination of the retina. Patient's with macular degeneration and ...

An additional comment added to yesterday's post. I included it here and pasted in yesterday's post....

There are 4 stages of diabetic retinopathy. Each stage is based upon the appearance of the retinas at the time of examin...

Diabetics should not worry about the sudden development of blindness. Blindness is statistically unlikely, and if at ri...

Diabetes can be approached as a disease that affects blood vessels. This is true in diabetic peripheral neuropathy, kid...

Stem cell research has many hurdles to overcome before becoming a reality, not just for macular degeneration, but for an...

Part 2: Stem cells are potentially an endless source of healthy Retinal Pigment Epithelium (RPE) cells that may be used...

Surmodics announces agreement with Genentech/Roche to combine proprietary drug delivery system with Lucentis (ranibizuma...

Part I of a series regarding stem cell transplantation. It may be the cure for macular degeneration and other diseases....

New glossary of terms should make "eye" reading easier!...

Severe vision loss in patients with diabetes has declined dramatically over the past 25 years....

AMD Alliance International announces video contest focusing on impact of macular degeneration. Winner to win $10,000!...

Alimera Sciences announces positive results on Iluvien. Phase 2 clinical trial data is promising....

Definitions of the term "blindness." Macular Degeneration and Diabetic Retinopathy can cause legal blindness and usuall...

The term "macular" describes several conditions that may affect the macula. It, by itself, is not a disease. ...

Intraocular drug delivery systems are just emerging and the timing couldn't better....

Intraocular drug delivery systems are developing to treat diabetic macular edema. Sustained release systems offer hope ...

New floaters can be from a posterior vitreous detachment (PVD), retinal tear or diabetic retinopathy. ...

Successful case histories of patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy....

Part 3 of a short series. Social media will build your practice. The need for credible information. Doctors are credi...

As medical information becomes more relevant, patients and doctors will improve their own knowledge base. Health care w...

How social media may build a medical practice and lead to improvements in healthcare....

Part 3: Macular Degeneration the ongoing AREDS 2 trial. How can your diet change macular degeneration?...

Part II of how your diet may affect macular degeneration. Foods that may be associated with slowing down the disease....

The truth about vitamins, your eyes and macular degeneration. What has been proven and yet to be proven....

No post this AM.  Check out my new pics in the header! I am trying to find out if the site takes along time to download...

Part 2 of the comparison between these two potentially blinding diseases. Few persons have either disease....

Patients with diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration share many attributes, including the fact that neither is us...

When should patients with diabetes get glasses?...

Macular degeneration can destroy central vision in a short period. Intravitreal injections have proven to be an effecti...

There is a new implant available to us in the United States for treatment of macular swelling (edema).  The implant, Oz...

Treatments for proliferative diabetic retinopathy are usually successful....

Increased urinary frequency, thirst and blurry vision may be the earliest signs of diabetes....

A true case of a patient regaining reading vision using Avastin and Lucentis....

Cataract surgery may lead to progression of diabetic retinopathy....

How many intraocular injections can an eye tolerate? When do you stop?...

Sometimes macular degeneration is not diagnosed until after cataract surgery. Why?...

Patients with diabetes can get laser vision correction.....sometimes....

Patients with diabetes get cataracts earlier than non-diabetics, but remember everyone gets cataracts. When is the righ...

How do you know if you have macular degeneration? What are the symptoms?...

Macular degeneration is not inherited as many believe it to be, but macular dystrophies are inherited....

There may be nothing to do to absolutely prevent diabetic retinopathy, but you can prevent loss of vision....

Drusen can be normal and not necessarily indicative of macular degeneration....

The top ten comments of what I have learned on my way to my 50th post....

Oral agent may slow macular degeneration. Vitamin A derivative may reduce the profession of wet ARMD to dry ARMD....

Study finds laser photocoagulation preferable to intravitreal steroid for patients with diabetic macular edema....

Using OCT (Optical Coherence Tomography) to follow patients with diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration gives you...

Getting regular eye exams for macular degeneration doesn't always pay off, but it does have some merit...

Best corrected vision is a good indicator of macular function....

Photodynamic therapy for macular degeneration is still a viable treatment....

Systemic Avastin may be useful for treatment of exudative macular degeneration....

The anti-VEGF drug, Avastin® (bevacizumab), was used to treat patients with diabetic macular edema.  The study found t...

Elevated Hg A1C and Lipoprotein A may lead to progression of non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy....

Fluorescein angiography is the mainstay of diagnostic testing for macular degeneration....

What constitutes a diabetic eye exam? An annual check, at the very least, is required to look for signs of diabetic ret...

Diabetic Macular Edema is also treated successfully with sub-tenon's injection of steroid...

In article released in the British Journal of Ophthalmology, researchers describe a combination of brachytherapy and int...

Avastin® and other anti-VEGF inhibitors have been used for the treatment of wet macular degeneration for the past sever...

Diabetics need regular annual eye exams regardless of symptoms. Diabetic retinopathy can cause no symptoms, blurry visi...

Eating more omega-3 polyunsaturated fat, such as that found in fish, may prevent the development of macular degeneration...

Self monitoring is the best way to prevent visual loss in macular degeneration. The Amsler grid is very useful....

Dexamethsone steroid device has immediate implications for the treatment of diabetic macular edema....

Sugar control is not the key to preventing diabetic retinopathy....

A five year prospective study reveals that insulin glargine is as safe as NPH insulin with regard to developing diabetic...

Cost efficient method of screening for diabetic retinopathy is described. ...

Macular degeneration, or ARMD, is one of the more common diseases seen by a retina specialist.  It is usually a disease...

Most of what I do all day is see patients. To many, I examine, diagnose and patients with retina problems. I have found,...

Patients that once had excellent vision sometimes report seeing crystal clear images of nature, faces and other objects....

There are two types of retinal vein occlusions (RVO), branch retinal vein occlusions (BRVO) and central retinal vein occ...

I hear this daily. A patient comes in for examination and is asked how his/her vision has been. “Horrible, I am wo...

It happens all the time, well, not “oops” during an operation, but during the day at the office.  I don&#82...

Eating more fish may slow down the progression of macular degeneration.  A new study based on the original AREDS (Age R...

Patients with diabetes need to be examined at least annually.  The reason is to be on the look out for the development ...

Flomax ® is taken by most men for benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH).  For several years, it has been implicated in c...

I have always felt that this is a lousy analogy although used by many, many eye doctors.  It puts the patient in a more...

New Study Suggests Reduced Heart Attack, but not Stroke or Death...

Who is the best doctor?  Well, there can’t be only one or the rest of us would out of business.  My definition o...

I fear the upset and frustrated patient.  They can ruin my day.  They can bring the whole office down.  They don&#821...

About a week after my recent cataract surgery, a very small blackout zone expanded to cover the lower half of my visual ...

A grateful patient says thank you after retinal detachment surgery....

Second opinions are really beneficial for all parties involved; doctor, family and patient....

Two weeks ago I learned through a routine eye exam that I had some issue with my right retina.  At that time I was refe...

I have received a few posts from some of my patient’s and welcome the feedback and comments.  As of this morning,...

Doctors have limited ability to communicate with their patients when there is a language and cultural gap....

Eye findings consistent with abuse....

Standard of care establishes how doctors choose which treatment is most appropriate in a given situation....

Definition of informed consent and an explanation of its different parts....

The data, including patient records, from the largest prospective study of macular degeneration is now “open sourc...

AREDS studied the value of vitamins in macular degeneration. AREDS2 may have some conclusive dietary recommendations....

Scleral buckles are being replaced by vitrectomy for repair of retinal detachments....

Cataract surgery is not linked to macular degeneration. ...

Vitamin supplements may decrease prevalence of ARMD. Homocysteine levels decreased as well....

Dietary intake of red meat may be risk factor for developing macular degeneration. Eating chicken may have beneficial e...

Macular Degeneration Cases to Explode. Use of Eye Vitamins May be Helpful....

Study Finds Erectile Dysfunction Drugs Safe for the Eye...

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