Retina Specialist in Lancaster, PA

If you live or work in Lancaster County, PA, and need a skilled retina specialist to evaluate and treat symptoms of diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration or retinal detachment, the physicians at Eye Consultants of Pennsylvania deliver the highest quality eye care in the region.

Barry C. Malloy, MD, earned his medical degree from the University of Massachusetts Medical School and completed a vitreo-retinal fellowship at the Washington Hospital Center. He has vast experience in the most current treatments, both approved and experimental, for diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration and retinal detachment surgery.

Michael Cusick, MD, earned his medical degree from Georgetown University and completed a medical and surgical vitreo-retinal fellowship at the Duke Eye Center. He specializes in vitreo-retinal disorders including diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, retinal detachment, macular holes, and other diseases and surgery of the vitreous body of the eye and the retina.

Anastasia Traband, MD is board certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology and completed a vitreo-retinal fellowship Scheie Eye Institute at the Penn Medicine Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania after graduating from George Washington University. She specializes in vitreo-retinal disorders including diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, retinal detachment, macular holes, and other diseases and surgery of the vitreous body of the eye and the retina.

About Retinal Diseases

Retinal diseases, such as diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration, affect more than 34 million American adults every year. These eye diseases have many of the same symptoms, the most common of which is blurred or distorted vision, and can have a significant impact on your overall quality of life if not detected and treated as soon as possible.

Macular Degeneration

Macular degeneration, often called AMD (for age-related macular degeneration), is the leading cause of vision loss in Americans over age 50, but treatment may slow its progress or even improve vision.

• Dry AMD – Nearly 90% of all individuals with AMD have dry AMD, and all people who have wet AMD had the dry form first. Scientists are still not sure what causes it, but studies suggest that part of the retina becomes diseased, leading to the slow breakdown of the macular cells and a gradual loss of central vision.

• Wet AMD – Although only 10% of individuals with AMD have wet AMD, it is responsible for the most serious vision loss from the disease. Wet AMD occurs when new blood vessels grow underneath the retina and leak blood and fluid under the macula. This causes rapid damage to the macula and can lead to blind spots in the central vision.

Treatments for AMD depend on whether the disease is in its early stage, its dry form, or in the more advanced wet form.

Diabetic Retinopathy

Diabetes can damage the retina in two ways:

• Non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR), occurs when the blood vessels of the retina begin to bleed or leak fluid. This can cause swelling in the retina (which may result in blurred vision), and it can leak into the fluid surrounding the retina, causing floaters or obscured vision.
• Proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) is a more advanced stage of the disease. It occurs when blood vessels in the retina become blocked, thereby starving the retina of important nutrients. New blood vessels grow on the surface of the retina to make up for the lack of blood flow, but they are abnormal and may cause bleeding or scar tissue to form. This can lead to vitreous hemorrhage, retinal detachment, or neovascular glaucoma.

Diabetic retinopathy and the vision loss it causes can be prevented by strictly controlling your blood sugar levels and blood pressure through diet, exercise, and medications. Better control will lessen the likelihood of developing diabetic retinopathy or, if it has already started, keep it from getting worse.

For more information about retina treatments in Lancaster, PA, talk with a retina specialist at Eye Consultants of Pennsylvania about the risk factors, the importance of early detection, and the treatment options available before it’s too late. We have five convenient locations in Wyomissing, Pottsville, Pottstown, Lebanon and Blandon.