Retinal Dystrophy - Causes, Symptoms, Consequences And Treatment

2024 Author: Josephine Shorter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-07 17:49

Retinal dystrophy

Content:

• What is retinal dystrophy?
• Retinal dystrophy symptoms
• Causes of retinal dystrophy
• Consequences of retinal dystrophy
• Retinal dystrophy treatment

The human eye has a very complex structure, the main place in which is occupied by the retina, which allows the eye to perceive light impulses. Its functions include ensuring the interaction of the optical system and the visual divisions, the location of which is the brain. This is achieved through the receipt, processing and transmission of visual information. With the development of retinal dystrophy (such a disease in most cases is diagnosed in elderly people), a violation of the vascular system of the eyes is observed. With the progression of the disease in patients, the retina is damaged at the microcellular level, due to which photoreceptors suffer, the functions of which are to organize the processes of perception of a deep color gamut, as well as to provide distant vision.

What is retinal dystrophy?

Retinal dystrophy is a disease accompanied by the death of the tissues of the eyeball. Patients diagnosed with an advanced stage of this disease begin to rapidly lose vision, while they experience progressive degeneration of retinal tissue.

Modern medicine divides retinal degeneration into acquired and congenital (inherited).

There is also a classification of this disease according to the localization of pathogenesis:

• Peripheral dystrophy. Develops against the background of a previous injury to the organs of vision. Congenital or acquired myopia, as well as myopia, can serve as an impetus for the appearance of peripheral dystrophy;

• Central dystrophy. It is observed in the macular region of the eye, it can occur against the background of age-related changes in the human body. Central retinal dystrophy is divided into wet and dry.

The risk group for developing retinal dystrophy includes elderly people with poor heredity, living in ecologically unfavorable regions and leading an unhealthy lifestyle.

According to statistics published in specialized media, retinal dystrophy occurs:

• In people with myopia - in 30-40% of cases;
• In people with hyperopia - in 6-8% of cases;
• In people with normal vision - only in 2-3% of cases.

Retinal dystrophy symptoms

Retinal dystrophy is usually accompanied by characteristic symptoms:

• Loss of color perception;
• Flashing black flies before the eyes;
• Distortion of visually perceived images;
• Lack of central vision;
• Indistinct perception of side objects;
• The appearance of bright flashes before the eyes;
• Blurred image;
• Impaired visual acuity;
• The appearance of a veil before the eyes;
• Inability to distinguish a static object from a moving one;
• The emergence of the need for bright lighting during reading and writing.

If a patient does not timely contact a medical institution for qualified help, he may develop a progression of the disease, which ultimately leads to retinal detachment and complete loss of vision.

Causes of retinal dystrophy

Experts attribute the following factors to the reasons for the development of retinal dystrophy:

• Disruption of the ocular vascular system. This pathology leads to the fact that in patients in the retina the process of scarring begins;
• Disruption of the immune system can also lead to the onset of scarring of the retinal layers;
• Unbalanced diet. Many doctors believe that retinal dystrophy can develop against the background of the use of low-quality products with a violation of the diet;
• Tobacco smoking negatively affects all internal organs and systems of the human body, but the organs of vision, in particular, the retina, suffer especially strongly from nicotine;
• The systematic use of alcoholic beverages can also provoke retinal degeneration;

• Postponed viral infections, during the treatment of which qualified medical care was not received;
• Chronic diseases such as diabetes mellitus, heart disease, endocrine system, hypertension;
• Postponed eye surgery;
• Disruption of metabolic processes in the human body, which lead to obesity.

Consequences of retinal dystrophy

If a patient with retinal dystrophy does not receive qualified medical care, but self-medicates, he may face serious consequences. The worst option for him will be a complete loss of vision, which will no longer be possible to restore even surgically.

Retinal dystrophy treatment

Before prescribing treatment for a patient who is suspected of having retinal dystrophy, the ophthalmologist conducts a comprehensive diagnosis, which includes the following measures:

• Perimetry;
• Laboratory tests;
• Ultrasound examination of the eyeball;
• Visometry;
• Instrumental examination of the fundus;
• Fluorescent angiography of the eye vessels;
• Electrophysiological examination (the main purpose of this procedure is to determine the working state of the retinal nerve cells, as well as the optic nerve).

In the treatment of retinal dystrophy, narrow-profile specialists use various techniques. Currently, the most effective method of dealing with retinal dystrophy is laser surgery. This is due to the fact that this type of surgery is considered the least traumatic and completely bloodless, since the surgeon does not need to open the eyeball. During surgical treatment with a laser beam, due to the non-contact effect on the retinal lesion area, the possibility of infection of the patient is completely excluded.

The medical method of treating retinal dystrophy involves the administration of special medicines by patients.

In most cases, patients are prescribed the following medications:

• Angioprotectors and vasodilators. This group of drugs has the effect of strengthening and expanding the blood vessels. These include: Complamin, No-shpa, Askorutin, Papaverine, etc. The attending physician individually selects the dosage and form of the medicine for each patient, taking into account the degree of the disease and general well-being;
• Antiplatelet agents. The action of these drugs is to prevent blood clots from forming in the vessels. Most often, patients are prescribed Clopidogrel, Ticlodipine or Acetylsalicylic acid;
• Vitamin complexes, as well as separately B vitamins;
• Lucentis - a drug that prevents pathological proliferation of blood vessels;
• Medicines that can effectively lower blood cholesterol levels;
• Medicines that are injected into the structure of the eye, as they are able to improve microcirculation (for example, Pentoxifylline);
• Preparations that are obtained from biological material taken from cattle. This group of drugs is called "polypeptides" (it includes, for example, Retinolamine);
• Eye drops, such as Oftan-Katahrom, Taufon, Emoxipin, etc. This group of medications helps to improve metabolic processes, as well as the rapid regeneration of the tissues of the eyeball.

When prescribing drug therapy, the attending physician independently develops a drug regimen. Usually, patients with such a difficult diagnosis have to repeat the course of treatment several times a year. In parallel with drug therapy for retinal dystrophy, specialists use various physiotherapeutic methods.

A pronounced therapeutic effect is achieved with the following procedures:

• Photostimulation or electrical stimulation of the retina;
• Electrophoresis (during this procedure, No-shpa, heparin or nicotinic acid are used);
• The use of low-energy laser radiation to stimulate the retina;
• Laser blood irradiation (intravenous);
• Magnetotherapy, etc.

In advanced cases, specialists carry out surgical treatment of retinal degeneration.

The type of surgery is individually selected for patients:

• Laser coagulation of the retina. After such a surgical intervention, patients need to take special medications belonging to the group of angiogenesis inhibitors. Thanks to drug support, patients will not grow abnormal vessels, and the process of progression of macular degeneration of the retina (wet) will also be stopped;
• Revascularizing and vasoreconstructive surgery;
• Vitrectomy.

After completing the course of therapy, patients who have been diagnosed with retinal dystrophy are required to carry out preventive measures at regular intervals. It is strictly forbidden for such a category of patients to overextend the organs of vision (during the reading process, it is necessary to take breaks for rest). When outdoors under the influence of ultraviolet rays, you should only wear sunglasses. Such people are advised to revise their diet and enrich it with products that are beneficial for vision. Every day you need to take vitamins and minerals, which are necessary for the full functioning of the organs of vision. You should completely give up bad habits, such as smoking and alcohol abuse.

Folk remedies

Traditional medicine, in combination with traditional methods of treatment, quite successfully fights against various diseases of the organs of vision, including the initial stage of retinal dystrophy. Patients are recommended to undergo a course of hirudotherapy, in which leeches inject their saliva, rich in useful enzymes, into the patient's blood.

The leech bite has a unique beneficial effect on the human body:

• Relieves inflammation;
• Normalizes the immune system;
• Acts as a pain reliever;
• Helps cleanse the body of toxins;
• Reduces the level of bad cholesterol and blood sugar, etc.

In folk medicine, there are a large number of recipes that can be used in the treatment of retinal dystrophy:

• Take fresh goat's milk and mix it with boiled water (1: 1). After that, drip the sore eye with the resulting mixture and cover it with a dark cloth for half an hour. The course of treatment is 1 week, it is believed that during this time the process of retinal detachment will be stopped;
• Take in certain proportions and mix the following components: needles (5 parts), rose hips (2 parts), onion husks (2 parts). Pour boiling water over everything and cook over low heat for 10 minutes. Chilled and strained broth should be drunk 0.5 liters per day, divided into several doses. The course of treatment is 1 month;
• Pour 1 tablespoon of caraway seeds into an enamel container and pour 200 ml of boiling water. Put the dishes on fire and boil the liquid for 5 minutes. In the resulting broth, add cornflower flowers (1 tbsp. Spoon), mix and cover. After cooling and straining, the broth is used as eye drops (it is necessary to instill 2 drops in each eye 2 times a day);
• Pour 1 tbsp. a spoonful of celandine in any container and pour boiling water. Put the dishes on low heat and simmer for several minutes. After the broth has cooled and infused, it is ready for use. It is recommended to bury the eyes 3 times a day, 3 drops. The treatment course takes 1 month;
• Tinctures of birch leaves, horsetail, lingonberry, mustard and other herbs useful for vision can be taken orally several times a day.

The author of the article: Degtyareva Marina Vitalievna, ophthalmologist, specially for the website ayzdorov.ru