30 THE QUEENS COURIER • HEALTH • OCTOBER 7, 2021 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
health
You can stop retinal disease
from stealing your vision
For decades, Glenroy Washington happily
worked as a professional musician, a
passion that led him around the world.
Th en while on tour in Europe, he noticed
something was wrong with his eyesight,
and that’s when his life began to change.
Washington has diabetes and tried to
keep his A1C, or blood sugar, under control
even while on tour. However, his hectic
travel schedule aff ected his ability to
manage his diabetes and he experienced
symptoms of diabetic retinopathy, a retinal
condition that occurs when diabetes
damages blood vessels in the retina.
Retinal conditions like diabetic retinopathy
as well as age-related macular degeneration
(AMD), a condition caused by a
deterioration of the retina that leads to a
loss of central vision, are among the leading
causes of blindness and vision loss in
the U.S. Diabetic retinopathy aff ects 7.7
million Americans, a number projected to
double by 2050. AMD impacts as many as
11 million Americans and is also expected
to double by 2050 due to longer life
expectancies.
Retinal disease can steal your vision, but
it doesn’t have to. Th e American Society
of Retina Specialists (ASRS) launched the
See for a Lifetime See a Retina Specialist
campaign to elevate awareness of retinal
disease as a major public health threat and
prompt people at risk and their families to
take action.
More information and resources can be
found at SeeforaLifetime.org.
“Incredible advances now allow us to
successfully treat conditions that just
a generation ago typically led to legal
blindness,” said ASRS President Carl C.
Awh, MD, FASRS. “Th e fact that we have
these eff ective treatments makes it more
important than ever to educate patients
and their families about ways to recognize,
prevent and treat retinal diseases. By
doing so, we should be able to preserve,
or even improve, the vision and quality of
life of many.”
As part of the campaign, there are three
important things America’s retina specialists
want you to know:
Knowing retinal disease
risk factors and symptoms
can save your sight
Common adult symptoms of retinal
disease include blurred central vision, distortion
or straight lines appearing wavy,
and sudden onset of fl oaters or fl ashes
of light. Common risk factors for retinal
disease include older age, family history,
smoking, and high blood pressure and
cholesterol, or diabetes. Seek care immediately
if you experience sudden changes
in vision.
Early detection is a
game changer
Many retinal diseases have few noticeable
symptoms in their early stages. With
regular dilated retina exams, your eye
physician can help preserve your sight by
detecting signs of a retinal condition early,
before extensive damage occurs. During
a dilated retina exam, your eye physician
takes a very close look at the back of your
eye to check for any problems and will
refer you to a retina specialist if there are
signs of a retinal condition.
Retina specialists can help
Innovative treatments developed and
delivered by retina specialists can prevent
vision loss, allowing patients to maintain
active, independent lives. Retina specialists
are among the most extensively
trained and highly skilled eye care
providers, with mastery of the newest
and most sophisticated tools and surgical
techniques available to diagnose and treat
retinal diseases. With the right screening,
and ongoing monitoring and treatment,
almost all patients with retinal diseases
can avoid signifi cant vision loss.
If you’re at risk for retinal disease
because of family history or underlying
conditions such as diabetes, or if you
experience symptoms of a retinal condition,
see a retina specialist as soon as possible.
Th at’s what Washington did. Aft er
returning to the states, he met with a retina
specialist who determined that diabetic
retinopathy had aff ected both of
his eyes.
She immediately developed a personalized
treatment plan to improve his
vision that included laser treatments and
intravitreal injections, also known as
eye injections. With ongoing treatment,
Washington is back to performing, driving
and can read even small text, which is
helping him as he works on his next two
albums and travels for shows.
“If you have a family history of retinal
conditions or experience symptoms,
make an appointment with a retina
specialist right away because delaying
care can lead to vision loss,” said
ASRS Foundation President Timothy G.
Murray, MD, MBA, FASRS. “Your retina
specialist will use advanced retinal
imaging and early treatment, if needed, to
help preserve your vision.”
— Courtesy of BPT
/WWW.QNS.COM
/SeeforaLifetime.org
