Repeat Visits To a Retina Eye Doctor

By John Choi, MD

Chesapeake Retina Centers

More Vision & Eye Care Articles

Repeat Visits To a Retina Eye Doctor

Many patients are surprised when they hear they need to see a retina eye doctor again, often for the rest of their lives.

Usually you don't need to visit your eye doctor very often. Perhaps you'll come in for an occasional eye exam and glasses check. Maybe you'll have cataract surgery, but even after that you'll see the doctor for some post-operative visits and then resume your regular schedule.

The eye is small, but it's so complicated there are many different kinds of eye doctors, each specializing in a different aspect of the eye.

The retina is the inner lining of the back of the eyeball. It contains the vision machinery that allows you to see. If you think of your eye as a film camera, the retina is the film. When that film, the retina, doesn't work, you don't get a good picture you don't see as well. Retina specialists such as myself are eye doctors specially trained to diagnose and treat diseases of the retina.

Many retinal diseases are from aging of the eye. The most well-known example is macular degeneration. Its full name is age-related macular degeneration, which emphasizes the role of aging in its development. Aging is a major risk factor for getting other retinal problems as well. Because we're only getting older, these conditions may worsen. They need to be monitored and treated when necessary for the rest of your life to preserve your vision.

Many retinal conditions leave permanent changes to your eye even if they improve on their own or with treatment. These changes may affect your vision and sometimes worsen. Your retina eye doctor will need to monitor and sometimes treat these changes. An example is retinal artery occlusion, which is caused by a clot lodging in a blood vessel in the retina. This stops blood flow and damages the retina. The clot may eventually dislodge, restoring the blood flow. But the damage to the retina often remains permanently.

In summary, many retinal conditions require monitoring and treatment indefinitely, often for the rest of your life. Some conditions can worsen with age, and some cause changes to your retina, which must be

followed. You may need to keep visiting your retina eye doctor, but doing so will help your eyesight stay as good as possible for the rest of your life.