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Call 704.365.0555By: Strutha C. Rouse, II, MD | February 15, 2022 | Blog, Retina, Strutha C. Rouse, II, MD
Say you have retinal issues and come to Horizon Eye Care multiple times a year. Perhaps you’re older, as people with retinal problems tend to be, or have mobility issues. Wouldn’t you prefer a private office just inside the front door of the facility, one with a wide automatic door, low-light waiting area and plenty of chairs for family or caretakers who assist you? That’s what Horizon provides in the new Retina Center at its Cotswold location.
What Stays the Same in the Retina Center?
Horizon hasn’t needed to add doctors to make this project work. I, will be there along with my colleagues and staff retina specialists,Steven Ryder and Rick Weidman. One of us will always be present during office hours, and you can reach an expert outside of working hours by calling the main number at 704-365-0555. The same state-of-the-art equipment Horizon has been using at Cotswold will be available in the Retina Center.
So, What’s New There?
The process will be quieter and more streamlined than it used to be. Like pediatric patients, who have their own office across the lobby, retinal patients will check directly into the Retina Center and be examined in their own space. They won’t have to navigate Horizon’s large and sometimes crowded lobby. There’s room for them to bring along more than one family member or caretaker, if they like.
Who’ll Benefit From It?
Patients with retinal diseases almost always need to see eye doctors more often than people who get one annual exam. Some of these ailments progress slowly: Age-related macular degeneration, where the center of the retina deteriorates, usually manifests itself first in a milder form and affects patients gradually.
Other conditions cause more dramatic problems. In diabetic retinopathy, blood vessels in the retina bleed into the vitreous, the gel-like fluid that fills your eye. A retinal tear may result when the vitreous shrinks and tugs on the retina, and a retinal detachment can occur if fluid gets under the retina – usually through such a tear – and lifts it away from underlying tissue layers. A macular pucker, also known as an epiretinal membrane, happens when wrinkles or bulges form on your macula. (To learn more about retinal conditions, go to Horizon’s Retina service page.)
How To Know Whether You Need Retinal Help
An annual eye exam will detect any of these conditions, permitting doctors to treat them in the early stages. To make an appointment, call 704-365-0555 Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.
But patients should remain alert to conditions that would send them to the Retina Center in an emergency. Most of us see harmless floaters from time to time. But if yours suddenly increase in size or number, you may have a serious problem.
You might see bright flashes of light, notice dark spots in the center of your vision or realize you’ve lost some of your side vision. You may even experience metamorphopsia, a funhouse-mirror condition where straight lines appear wavy because of macular distortion. If any of these things happen to you, contact the Retina Center as soon as possible.