Laser-assisted retinal degeneration treatment

Myopia is the most notorious condition among vision disorders. At its extreme, myopia may be aggravated by degeneration and even rupture of retina. In order to reverse the degenerative process, e.g. before starting vision correction using excimer laser equipment, retina needs to be restored.

Over the past decades, we have seen increasing numbers of cases of vascular diseases of the eye. In Russia, this type of diseases is the top cause of blindness and sight disabilities. The major reasons is an increasing number of people with diabetes, hypertensive diseases, atherosclerosis, as well as growing proportion of senior age group.

Timely laser-assisted treatments, if applied, are a good asset to treatment of the most types of vascular diseases of the eye (diabetic retinitis, fundus blood circulation disorders, age-related retinal degeneration), and also glaucoma surgery. Mainly these diseases are treated with argon laser.

Among endocrine disorders, diabetes affects the eye most of all, retinal deformations being the severest lesions. 25%-90% of people affected by diabetes are also affected by diabetic retinitis, which often causes irreversible decrement in visual acuity. Timely and sufficient photocoagulation of the fundus using GYC-2000 laser system by Nidek (Japan) helps 60%-90% of patients to keep or restore their sight. Since pain syndrome in such treatment is negligible, instilling anesthesia is applied. The treatment is done on the outpatient basis, and its quality is comparable with that of the best clinics in the world.

Treatment contraindications include:
- chronic illnesses in acute form;
- viral respiratory infections;
- any other acute infection;
- diabetic decompensation;
- third stage of a hypertensive disease;
- cardiac infarction suffered less than 18 months ago;
- coronary heart disease in decompensation stage; or
- Raynaud's disease or haemophilia.