Cataract Removal Surgery London

Retina Health Check

Vision is essential to living a full and active life. Whether you're driving, reading, or simply going about daily tasks, good eyesight is key to your independence and quality of life. Regular eye checks are crucial, especially for those with conditions like diabetes, which requires yearly check-ups to prevent complications like diabetic retinopathy.

Similarly, individuals over 60 should prioritize eye exams to detect age-related issues like cataracts or macular degeneration early. Proactive eye care is the best step toward preserving long-term vision health.

Understanding Your Eye Health History

Your eye health is closely tied to your personal and family medical history. Many eye conditions, such as glaucoma, macular degeneration, or diabetic retinopathy, are hereditary, meaning they can be passed down through generations. By understanding these connections, you can take proactive steps toward maintaining your vision.

Our comprehensive retina check process includes a thorough review of your medical background to ensure we catch potential risks of retina diseases early on where possible. This personalized approach helps in tailoring preventive care, early detection, and managing any underlying eye issues before they worsen.

Senior female doctor analyzing optical coherence tomography (oct) scans on a computer, foc

Comprehensive Retina Check: Safeguard Your Vision for a Bright Future

Your vision is essential to your quality of life. At our clinic, we offer a thorough eye assessment to ensure your eyes stay healthy and your vision remains sharp. From checking your visual acuity to advanced imaging of your retina, the entire process covers every critical aspect of retina care. Our goal is to detect issues early, prevent vision loss, and address any concerns promptly. Here’s what our retina check includes:

Vision Check

A vision check is a routine part of an eye exam to ensure that your visual acuity is optimal and any refractive errors (like nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism) are corrected with the proper prescription.

The ideal candidates are anyone who uses corrective lenses or notices changes in their vision, such as blurriness or eye strain. The benefit of regular vision checks is early detection of changes, ensuring you get the right prescription to avoid eye discomfort and maintain clear vision.

Dry Eye Check

This test assesses tear production and the quality of your tears. It is especially beneficial for individuals who spend long hours in front of screens, contact lens users, or those living in dry environments.

Dry eyes can lead to discomfort, irritation, and even damage to the surface of the eye if left untreated. By diagnosing dry eye syndrome early, your eye doctor can recommend treatments like artificial tears or prescription medication to alleviate symptoms.

Intraocular Pressure Check

This test measures the fluid pressure inside your eye, which helps in detecting glaucoma—a condition where elevated pressure damages the optic nerve, leading to vision loss. Individuals over 40 or those with a family history of glaucoma are ideal candidates.

Regular checks are critical because glaucoma often has no symptoms until significant damage has occurred. Early detection allows for timely treatment, often preventing irreversible blindness.

Macular OCT Imaging (Both Eyes)

Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) provides detailed images of the retina, allowing your eye doctor to detect macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and other retinal conditions. Ideal candidates include diabetics, the elderly, and anyone with a family history of retinal diseases. This test is valuable because it detects diseases before symptoms become severe, allowing for early intervention to preserve vision.

Consultation with Results on the Same Day

Slit Lamp Examination

A slit lamp is a microscope that examines the front structures of the eye, such as the cornea, lens, and iris. This test can detect cataracts, corneal abnormalities, or infections. It’s suitable for older adults, especially those at risk for cataracts, and anyone experiencing discomfort, redness, or blurry vision. The benefit is the ability to identify conditions like cataracts early, ensuring timely treatment and avoiding complications.

Widefield Imaging of Retina (Both Eyes)

Widefield imaging captures a broader view of the retina compared to traditional methods, helping to detect retinal tears, detachments, or peripheral abnormalities. People with a family history of retinal conditions or those experiencing floaters or flashes of light in their vision are ideal candidates.

The benefit of this imaging is that it helps detect conditions that might otherwise go unnoticed, facilitating early treatment and preventing severe complications like vision loss.

You will receive the outcomes of the tests and findings on the same day, followed by a detailed report of the retina checks. You can address any concerns you may have with Ms Heng and any necessary follow up or procedures may be organised at the same setting if you wish.

Benefits of Routine Eye Assessment

Early Detection of Eye Diseases

Routine retina checks play a critical role in identifying serious retina conditions before they progress. For example, diabetic retinopathy often develops silently, with no symptoms until the late or proliferative stages or center involving macular oedema.

Regular retina checks ensure that any early signs of eye diseases are caught early, allowing for timely intervention and treatment. This proactive approach can significantly reduce the risk of severe vision loss and maintain long-term eye health.

Enhanced Quality of Life

Good vision is integral to a high quality of life. Regular eye checks help ensure that you can see clearly, engage in daily activities, and maintain your independence. Whether enjoying hobbies, spending time with loved ones, or simply navigating your environment, maintaining optimal vision contributes to your overall well-being. By prioritizing routine eye care, you invest in a better quality of life

Vision Preservation

By regularly monitoring your eye health, retina checks can help preserve your vision. Conditions such as cataracts and macular degeneration can deteriorate vision if left untreated. Through routine exams, eye care professionals can recommend appropriate treatments, such as glasses, medications, or surgical options, to maintain optimal vision.

Early intervention can prevent the progression of these conditions, allowing individuals to enjoy their daily activities without impairment.

Peace of Mind

Routine retina checks provide reassurance about your retina health. Many people experience anxiety over potential vision problems or retina diseases. Knowing that you are taking proactive steps to monitor your retina health can alleviate this anxiety.

Regular check-ups not only help you stay informed about your current vision status but also empower you with knowledge about any potential risks and the steps you can take to mitigate them.

Comprehensive Health Insights

Retina checks do more than assess vision; they also provide valuable insights into overall health. Certain systemic conditions, such as diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol, can manifest in the eyes.

By detecting changes in the retina or blood vessels, we can identify these underlying health issues, prompting further medical evaluation and treatment. This interconnectedness highlights the importance of eye assessment in maintaining overall health.

Family History Monitoring

If you have a family history of eye conditions such as macular degeneration, or retinal diseases, routine retina checks become even more critical. Family history is a significant risk factor for many eye diseases.

Regular visits to an eye care professional allow for tailored monitoring and preventive measures based on your specific risks. This personalized approach ensures that you receive the appropriate level of care and attention for your eye health needs.

Systemic Conditions with Retina Pathologies (list below is not exhaustive)

The eye is a window to predict, monitor and determine systemic diseases. Patients with medical conditions such as diabetes, hypertension or hypercholesterolemia may have retina haemorrhages, exudatives (cholesterol deposits) or retina vasculature changes that may manifest in the retina.

Research has also found that examination of different layers of the retina or its vasculature may predict risks of eye and systemic conditions or neurological conditions including dementia, stroke and multiple sclerosis.

Severity of retina haemorrhages, new vessels, oedema may also indicate severity of cardiometabolic control of an individual.

Medication with Ophthalmic Side Effects (list below is not exhaustive)

Some drugs are known to cause ocular toxicities, some reversible and some irreversible, resulting in visual impairment. This is very rare. Some examples of drug induced retinotoxicity include the following:

Hydroxychloroquine retinotoxicity

Is hydroxychloroquine use harmful to the eye?

Recent epidemiological data indicate that the prevalence of toxicity amongst long-term ( 5 years) hydroxychloroquine users is approximately 7.5%. This risk increases to 20- 50% after 20 years, depending on individual risk factors

What are known risk factors for hydroxychloroquine retinotoxicity?

Factors associated with higher risks for toxicity including the following:

A. Patients on chloroquine or high dose hydroxychloroquine (>5mg/kg/day).

B. Patients with renal disease and impaired renal function (estimated glomerular filtration rate of less than 60ml/min/1.73m2)

C. Patients on Tamoxifen treatment

Patients who are on hydroxychloroquine should have annual monitoring once they have had the treatment for 5 years or if they have the above risk factors, then they should start annual monitoring.

Tamoxifen Retinotoxicity

Tamoxifen is a selective estrogen receptor modulator used as a treatment for breast cancer. Studies have found that retinopathy may occur in 12% of patients who consume 20mg tamoxifen over 2 years. Half of these are visually symptomatic. Clinically, retinal changes consist primarily of crystalline deposits, cystoid macular edema or hyper-reflective deposits in the macular.

Once visual symptoms occur, discontinuing treatment may no longer improve vision. Patients on tamoxifen who have had the treatment in excess of 2 years may benefit from 6 monthly reviews to screen and monitor for retinal changes so early subclinical changes may be detected and their physicians may then adjust their cancer treatment accordingly before permanent visual impairment.

How to Prepare for a Retina Check

Bring Your Glasses or Contacts

If you wear corrective lenses, it's important to bring them to your appointment. This allows your eye doctor to assess your current prescription and determine if any adjustments are needed based on your vision changes. Additionally, having your lenses on hand can assist the doctor in evaluating your eye health and comfort levels when wearing them.

List of Medications

Preparing a list of medications, including over-the-counter drugs and supplements, can provide your eye care professional with essential information. Some medications may affect your eye health or vision, and understanding your complete medical history allows for a more thorough examination. This information helps the doctor identify potential risks or side effects related to your eye care.

Know Your Medical History

Before your retina check, take some time to familiarize yourself with your personal and family medical history, especially regarding eye health. Being prepared to discuss any previous eye conditions, surgeries, or issues you've experienced will aid the doctor in tailoring your examination and developing an appropriate care plan.

Avoid Eye Makeup

If possible, refrain from wearing eye makeup on the day of your retina check. This practice allows for clearer examinations of your eyelids, lashes, and the surface of your eyes. Makeup can sometimes obscure the doctor’s view and interfere with certain tests, so avoiding it can enhance the efficiency of your appointment.

Arrange Transportation

Depending on the specific tests performed during your assessment, you may need assistance getting home afterward, especially if dilating drops are used. These drops can temporarily blur your vision, making it unsafe to drive. Arranging for transportation ensures you can get home safely after your appointment.

What to Expect During the Process

Initial Assessment

the process will typically start with an initial assessment, where we will ask about your eye health and medical history. This information helps us understand your specific concerns and needs, allowing for a more tailored examination.

Slit Lamp Examination

During this examination, your eye care provider will use a specialized microscope (slit lamp) to closely inspect the front structures of your eyes, including the cornea, iris, and lens. This detailed evaluation helps identify abnormalities, infections, or signs of cataracts, ensuring prompt diagnosis and treatment.

Vision Tests

You will undergo a series of vision tests designed to measure your visual acuity. This may involve reading letters from an eye chart at varying distances.

Multimodal Retinal Imaging

Advanced imaging techniques, such as Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) and widefield imaging, may be performed to assess the health of your retina. These tests provide detailed images that help detect early signs of conditions such as macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy, which may not present symptoms until significant damage has occurred.

Intraocular Pressure Check

A vital component of the assessment is measuring the pressure inside your eyes. This quick and painless test will identify high eye pressure

Results Consultation

After completing the tests, you will have a consultation with your eye specialist to discuss the results. This conversation is essential as it allows you to receive timely feedback on your eye health, ask any questions, and understand the next steps for maintaining or improving your vision.

Frequently Asked Questions

What conditions can be treated with retina laser therapy?

Retina lasers such as panretina photocoagulation remains the gold standard treatment for proliferative retina vascular disease such as diabetic retinopathy and retina vein occlusion. Lasers targeted at the macular , macular laser therapy is often used to treat conditions such as diabetic macular oedema, macular oedema from vein occlusion and certain cases of central serous retinopathy.
Is retina laser therapy painful?

Patients will be given topical anaesthetic drops and will have a contact lens on the eye to keep the eye open during the procedure. You can feel slight discomfort during the procedure and immediately after. Usually paracetamol or NSAID tables over the counter will help to ease the discomfort from the procedure. You should not be experiencing pain beyond a day or two. If not, please seek urgent assistance.
How long does a retina laser therapy session typically last?

Depending on the area to be treated, a session will take from 15 mins to 30 min per eye.
Are there any side effects or risks associated with retina laser therapy?

Whilst laser photocoagulation is effective, there are risks involved , such as: Vision loss: It may cause a blind spot in the area where a scar forms. If the fovea is lasered, this may cause visual loss but this is incredibly rare. Damage to the retina caused by the scar that formed from treatment: This damage may occur right after surgery or years later. Blood vessels that grow again: Retina specialists can remedy this by repeating the laser treatment. Bleeding in the eye Reduced colour vision Lowered night vision
What is the recovery process like after retina laser therapy?

The procedure is a day procedure and you will usually go home after the procedure. You can continue with normal activity following the laser therapy. You might feel slight discomfort for a day or two. The true impact of the laser on the retina vasculature or fluid may take up to 2 weeks or 3-4 months in the case of macular oedema. A follow up appointment will be scheduled to monitor on the status of the retina following the procedure
Will I need multiple sessions of retina laser therapy?

In certain indications of retina laser such as proliferative diabetic retinopathy, several sessions of retina laser therapy will be planned
Is retina laser therapy covered by insurance?

Most indications of retina laser therapy are covered by insurance, please contact your insurance to confirm your eligibility depending on your personal insurance plans.