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Preserving Your Sight - Part I |
| Most people are unaware that the two leading causes of loss of vision in the United States, age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy, are potentially treatable. Unfortunately, the treatment is most effective when applied early, before sight is affected, and many patients unnecessarily lose their vision because they waited too long. It's easy to understand that if your house was on fire, the fire department would have the best chance of saving it if you immediately call them. If you waited several days or weeks, there wouldn't be much left to save. But patients who notice a change in their vision frequently wait days or weeks for the vision to improve as the chances of successful treatment become smaller and smaller. In both macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy, laser treatment is the mainstay of treatment. Laser treatment is not experimental. The effectiveness of this treatment has been proven by large scale studies conducted by the National Eye Institute, which is part of the National Institutes of Health. There are several different types of lasers and laser treatment methods. Some of the treatments may be uncomfortable, others are not. The degrees of discomfort is dependent upon the type of treatment and the manner, technique and experience of the ophthalmologist performing the laser surgery. All of you are probably familiar with the friend who had laser surgery but "it didn't help". The laser is used to stabilize the vision, much like water is used to put out a fire. It generally does not improve vision, no more than putting out a fire will allow a burnt house to grow back. There are no guarantees in life, and depending on your circumstances, laser treatment is not 100% effective. If you go to the physician after waiting a prolonged period of time, or do not follow the physician's instructions, then the chance of successful laser treatment is even smaller. So when a friend of yours says the laser treatment made them worse, it probably just didn't work. The laser treatment didn't worsen the condition, no more than the fireman caused the house to burn down. As is true in life, you must take responsibility for yourself. The physician advises you what to do and may prescribe a treatment such as medications or surgery. Of course, it is your responsibility to follow the advice that you went to the physician to obtain. If your knowledge or experience causes you to question the advice, then seek another opinion. But beware, just because the second opinion does not agree with the first, it doesn't mean the first was wrong. Maybe the second opinion was incorrect, or there is just a difference of opinion. After all, medicine is both art AND science, and often is not as definitive as making a decision whether a broken lightbulb needs to be replaced. If there is a difference between the first and second opinion, seek a third opinion. Obviously, if both the first and second agree, then a third opinion is probably not necessary. For more information please call our office or click here to send us an e-mail.
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