Other Surgeries and Procedures
Edina Eye offers comprehensive eye care, including performing surgical procedures for the vast majority of eye conditions. Most surgeries and procedures result from eye examinations where your doctor notices and diagnoses a condition. Other times, patients notice a change in vision or eye health and schedule an appointment. Having regular exams gives your doctor an opportunity to get ahead of any potential problems.
Your Personal Experts for Total Eye Health
Patients of Edina Eye have some 200 years of combined experience and expertise ensuring their total eye health. We diagnose and treat virtually every eye disease and condition and are proud of our stellar history of success. We also take a personal approach with our patients, encouraging them to see the same doctor regularly. We record the results of each visit and measure them against previous visits. We also follow a strict protocol during each eye examination, which further helps us measure and manage our patients’ eye health. And when we do identify a problem, we are ideally prepared to treat them.
Diabetic Retinopathy Care and Surgery
Experts at early diagnosis and successful care.
Complications from diabetes can cause eye diseases that lead to severe or total loss of vision. Diabetic retinopathy is the most common of these conditions and a leading cause of blindness in adults. It develops when weakened blood vessels leak blood and other fluids into the retina, swelling tissue and clouding vision. The condition is progressive and usually affects both eyes.
The longer a person has diabetes, the more likely they will develop diabetic retinopathy. Fortunately, studies show regular eye examinations dramatically quicken diagnosis. Early treatment is essential to prevent blindness and we encourage all our patients — especially those with diabetes — to have a comprehensive dilated eye examination once a year.
Early-stage non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy has little or no visual symptoms. The condition is not visible to the eye and does not cause vision problems. A special micro retinal examination is the only way to detect the disease at its earliest.
As the disease progresses, patients may see new floaters, experience cloudiness, notice a dark spot in the center of their vision, and report difficulty seeing at night. These symptoms are typically the initial result of blood leakage. This stage is called proliferative diabetic retinopathy, noting the proliferation of abnormal blood vessels in the retina. These blood vessels have compromised vascular walls, leading to minor leakage and, in time, major hemorrhaging.
The doctors of Edina Eye strive for early detection of diabetic retinopathy. For our patients with diabetes we regularly check for a several tale-tell signs including leaking blood vessels, retinal swelling, fatty deposits on the retina, damaged nerve tissue and any vascular change.
We use several diagnostic methods including a visual acuity test that measures vision from various distances. A dilated eye examination provides a micro view of the retina and optic nerve. A tonometry measures pressure inside the eye. These procedures, individually or collectively, help your doctor detect early signs of the disease.
It is estimated that people with proliferative retinopathy have greater than a 95% chance of maintaining their vision if they receive timely and appropriate treatment.
The treatment for non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy is for patients to control their levels of blood sugar, blood pressure and blood cholesterol. Taking these crucial early steps can prevent proliferation of the disease.
Treatment for proliferative retinopathy typically involves laser surgery used to minimize the newly grown abnormal blood vessels and their potential damage to vision. This procedure is most successful if performed early, before the vessels start to leak. Laser treatment is a highly effective way to prevent further vision loss, though patients can experience some loss of color recognition, as well as reduced side and night vision.
Severe bleeding may require a vitrectomy, a procedure that removes blood from the center of the eye. This is also a very effective surgery, especially if performed early in the progression of the disease.
Macular Degeneration Care and Surgery
Comprehensive eye care for a serious threat.
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a common eye condition and unfortunately one of the leading causes of vision loss in people over 50 years of age. Located near the center of the retina, the macula determines the quality of a person’s central vision. A healthy macula produces sharp, high-resolution vision. Macular degeneration develops when a change to the macula makes it unable to function properly. The change is typically caused by age.
There are two types of macular degeneration. Dry AMD develops when the cells of the macula become damaged and compromise the ability of the macula to produce sharp central vision. Nine out of ten sufferers of macular degeneration have dry AMD. Wet AMD progresses more rapidly. It develops when abnormal blood vessels form under the macula, damaging its cells and ability to produce central vision.
Typically, people with dry macular degeneration first notice a decrease in light and dulling of color. In time they have difficulty managing in low-light environments and have trouble recognizing faces. Reading becomes difficult and can become impossible.
Symptoms of wet macular degeneration progress rapidly. Light and colors become less intense and visual distortions become common. Vision often becomes wavy and lopsided. Hallucinations can occur.
Dry macular degeneration is difficult for a person to first detect, especially if the condition exists in only one eye. If it is present in both eyes, one eye cannot compensate for the other and in time a change in central vision will become noticeable. A person might also notice a change in how they see color and an inability to recognize faces and detail.
Your doctor will check for dry macular degeneration by first performing a comprehensive eye examination. Subsequent evaluation often involves using an ophthalmoscope to look closely at the retina and other areas at the back of the eye. We also measure abnormalities in vision, including waviness and darkness.
Wet macular degeneration is typically diagnosed with the same treatments shown above, but your doctor may also use other imaging processes to further evaluate your condition. With cross-sectional imagery we can look for distortions and swelling in the retina, indicating the presence of abnormal blood vessel growth. We may also recommend a fluorescein angiogram where dye, injected into your arm, is recorded as it passes through the macula. The high definition imagery shows if abnormal growth is present and, if so, highlights where treatment is needed.
There is no current treatment that stops dry macular degeneration from progressing. Fortunately, it progresses slowly and people can live relatively normal lives with few vision restrictions. There are also many advancements in progress that show promising benefits for patients with dry AMD. Your doctor will help you understand what other treatment options might be right for you.
Wet macular degeneration cannot be cured, but it can be slowed, especially if diagnosed and treated early. Initial treatment often includes injected medications designed to stop the growth of abnormal blood vessels. For some patients, laser surgery can be used to destroy the abnormal blood vessels. Your doctor will help you understand what course makes sense for you.
Macular Edema Care and Surgery
Reduced swelling and restored vision.
The macula is the part of the retina that provides sharp central vision. Macular edema occurs when blood and other fluid leak into the macula, causing it to swell. The result is blurred and cloudy vision and, in extreme cases, a total loss of vision. There are two types of macular edema. Diabetic macular edema is a complication of diabetic retinopathy, where weak blood vessels leak into the retina. Cystic macular edema is a condition that often occurs soon after cataract surgery and implantation of an intraocular lens.
Both types of macular edema show few if any initial symptoms, are not visible to the eye, and do not cause pain. As leakage progresses, patients experience blurry or wavy central vision and often report a change in how they perceive color.
Diabetic macular edema is often diagnosed in diabetic patients being examined for diabetic retinopathy. In these cases, your doctor is looking for signs of leaking blood vessels, retinal swelling and fatty deposits on the retina.
Visual acuity tests are given to measure a patient’s vision from various distances. Your doctor will also take a macro view of your retina with a fully dilated examination. We also use tonometry to measure pressure inside the eye. Macular edema is typically diagnosed with one or any combination of these procedures.
Cystic macular edema is typically diagnosed by a doctor treating a patient following cataract surgery.
As with advanced proliferative diabetic retinopathy, diabetic macular edema is typically treated with laser surgery to slow leakage and reduce the amount of fluid in the retina. Multiple procedures are sometimes required to control problem leaking. If the disease is present in both eyes, the procedures are done weeks apart.
Diabetic macular edema is also treated with medical injection therapy. In this procedure, a drug is placed inside the eye to minimize the growth of the abnormal blood vessels, which leads to reduced swelling and slowed leakage.
Cystoid macular edema, typically the result of the implantation of an intraocular lens following cataract surgery, can be successfully treated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) eye drops. Difficult cases require steroid drops. In rare cases, vitrectomy surgery is required to eliminate fluid from the eye.
Minor Office Procedures
Come in and we’ll take care of you.
Eyelids and areas around the eye often develop nuisance conditions that require treatment. Styes, for instance, are infections that typically occur at the edge of the eyelid. They are painful and grow quickly. If left untreated, they typically heal themselves within a few weeks, though enduring the pain and discomfort is easier said than done.
Eyelid cysts, also called chalazion, form under the eyelid. They are typically larger than styes, but grow slowly and are not painful. If left untreated, they typically heal themselves within a few months.
Many patients choose to treat these conditions rather than wait. We typically first advise home treatments, including compresses, but might also prescribe medicine or perform an in-office procedure. If you have a stye, cyst or other condition you’d rather not endure, please call 952-832-8100.
Treatment and Ongoing Care for All Your Eye Care Needs
The eye is complex, which makes most of its conditions complex and all of them deserving of expert care. The physicians and surgeons of Edina Eye are comprehensive ophthalmologists and specialists at serving all your eye health needs. Your doctor will care for you from beginning to end, examining your eyes, diagnosing your condition, performing the procedure and following through with all the appropriate after care. We’re also on-call 24 hours a day.
Whatever Your Condition, We’re Ready to Help
Total eye health starts with an eye examination performed by an expert. Whether you are suffering from a diagnosed condition, are responding to symptoms or have simply put off a scheduling an exam, now is the time to take control of your eye health.
