Laser Treatment of the Retina
Laser Treatment of Retina
Laser photocoagulation is the standard method of treatment for diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration as well as other less common diseases of the retina. While it may sound frightening to those who have not experienced it, for most patients it is a very easy experience. It is done in the clinic, and not in the operating room. For most patients there is little pain and eye drops alone are enough to take care of the discomfort. Certain forms of treatment of bleeding vessels in the eye require higher laser energy levels and these patients may be more comfortable with an injection given in the cheek area which makes the side of the face numb. Your doctor will discuss this with you before the laser procedure. If a numbing injection is used, a patch will be needed afterwards for a few hours to protect the eye until the feeling returns. Otherwise no patch is required after laser treatment. Laser treatment will be done with you seated at an instrument which is very similar to the instrument that the doctor uses to examine your eyes. Once you are seated and comfortable, the doctor will place a contact lens on your eye to help in aiming the laser, which is a high intensity light beam that can be very precisely controlled. The beam can be made more intense for a fraction of a second. This will give you the sensation of a bright light, but usually no pain. The energy in the laser beam is absorbed by the retina and the tissue reaction to this causes small scars to form which in time work to seal leaking and bleeding vessels. The full effect of treatment is not immediate and develops over weeks as these tiny scars form and seal the vessels.
It is important to understand that laser treatment can seal the vessels which are currently leaking and/or bleeding, or are at high risk to leak and/or bleed, but the laser is a form of management of the underlying cause of the leaking or bleeding, and not a full cure. Further follow up is always necessary, and when the cause of the leaking or bleeding is a continuing disease such as diabetes, there may be new leaking or bleeding vessels in the future which may need laser treatment at that time. Since laser treatment is used for many diseases of the retina at many different stages of severity, you should talk with your doctor about what you can expect after laser treatment.
