I wonder how many people get retinal photographs.
I get one every year and I have never had an issue, however once I passed 25 years, they started telling me that I have some blood vessel growth but not bleeds. Blood vessel growth makes you more likely to get a bleed apparently.
They tried to explain and show me what they meant but I just can’t see any difference. I think they are going more my my years since diagnosis and less by what they see.
I mean if I had a bleed, I think I would know it. And my photos look nothing like the ones where bleeds are or beginning.
I kinda wonder why I have these photos taken.
Maybe they are trying to compare photos over time. Maybe this photos is like their baseline so they can see if it looks ‘different’ down the line.
You seen all the stuff with Elon Musk trying to reverse visual impairment? Kinda interesting.
2 Likes
My opthomologist has taken a photo every year for at least the past 15 years. As @mohe0001 suggests, he’s tracking a baseline so he can detect even small differences. Thankfully I’ve had no issues at all (fingers crossed).
He regularly tells me “your eyes are a window into your kidneys”. If you’re eyes look good, likely your kidneys are as well. I’ve seen no evidence confirming this statement, but to some extent it makes sense.
I have a different retinopathy but they do take pictures every year. I also think the photos give much better pictures as technology has improved. This gives them more time to look at the picture. Nancy50
I had baseline retinal photographs taken about 10 years ago when retinal deterioration was suspected but my very limited damage was not getting worse, actually was showing improvement so went to 2 years between photo session to now 3 years.
Years ago I had pictures taken by being given an injection of dye. I got really sick from that. Now they take cross sections with a nice machine that simply makes you stae into it for a few seconds. It shows macular swelling etc. thats all they do or have done for years (retinal center facility)
2 Likes
I have had retinal photos for every year for about the last 40. About 30-35 years ago, they saw minor “leakage” from capillaries in one eye. Although I have no idea it it is still common practice, at the time they “carpet bombed” the outer perimeter of the problem retina with about 3500 laser shots over about 6 sessions.
I still get a photo every year and the ophthamologist also manually inspects with a hand-held lens … and things has been stable for many years. That all happened at the end of the pee-on-stick era, so we now have many better tools to help avoid these problems.
BTW, last time I visited my eye doctor he told him that I would be surprised to learn that a significant number of his diabetic patients see him on a monthly or bimonthly basis because things change so rapidly for them. I suddenly thought than an annual visit was pretty easy.
Stay safe!
John
1 Like
About 15 years ago I was at a clinic where the ophthalmologist had his staff do photos. Incredibly painful, with bright light. Later, my now retinal specialist had photographs done, but they were less revealing than her own visual inspection.
She stopped doing that. I see here once a year, and her diagnosis relayed to my endo and primary, is that I have low levels of mild non-proliferative retinopathy. When I’ve asked what I can expect, she said it should not impact me in my life. My most recent exam she saw some reduction in one eye and less in the other, but overall, it was still good. But seriously, that could change tomorrow. It’s unlikely, but…
As for their use, the photos give a visual record of changes to your eye over time, and for most, can help with diagnosis, in that the photographs can be more thorough, and comparable, to prior exam photos.
You likely would – but it’s not a given, depending where the bleed occurs in relation to the retina. And there are multiple earlier stages of retinopathy – such as the very earliest stage, mild nonproliferative retinopathy, characterized by swelling of micro-capillaries – that the patient is unaware of but which an eye doctor can see and, more importantly, treat to prevent the progression of the disease.
2 Likes
I have a similar experience each time I visit my opthomologist. His practice is almost exclusively treating diabetics and he spends half his time as an eye surgeon. His waiting room is often filled with people suffering from serious eye problems from diabetes. People who need someone to guide their way, bandages over their eyes recovering from surgery, etc. is a sad reminder of how diabetes can ravage our bodies. Losing my eyesight Is one of the complications that scare me the most.
2 Likes
I had no idea I had leaking. I believe the bleeding was right near the retina. Fortunately my ophthalmologist took images at my annual exam and saw the damage. I had to see a retinol specialist immediately and for a few years I had eye injections every few months or so 'til I recovered. At each appt I had images taken to compare with the previous visit. Now I am only going once per year. But, I was told to do an eye test daily on my own to make sure my eyes have no changes.
1 Like
I get sick (vomited for 24 hours straight!) from the solution used to dilate the eyes prior to an exam. I always ask for the least potent solution now.
1 Like
I’ve had a whole bunch of retinal photos over the past 40 years.
Generally they wasted a whole lot of polaroid film for the first 30+ years because trying to get me to have my eyes open while the camera shutter is going click is nigh-impossible.
They generally do better with the more recent all-digital cameras.
All that said, when I ask my opthamologists, they say 1 minute looking into each eye with the slit lamp is superior to any photo. I am generally pretty good about keeping my eyes open during the slit lamp exam.
The past couple years they also do this computer vector green line and red dot thing to my eye that looks (to me!) like the old Battle Zone video game. I’m told this is measuring/mapping the contour of the back of my eyeball which is important for… something. I’m not sure what.
1 Like
Seven years ago, my vision had deteriorated so went to optholmolagist who, upon initial Examination, recommended cataract surgery; however, after a more thorough examination, advise I had swollen retinas due to bleeding and referred me to a retinologist, but I had no indication of bleeding. The retinologist performed vitrectamies on both eyes and subsequently injected the Eyes every six months for two years until the photographs evidenced no changes.
Last week I went back to the ophthalmologist because my vision seemed to have deteriorated slightly. He took pictures and compared them to the last ones taken two years ago and advised that there had been no change to the retinas but there appeared to be some post cataract foging on the replacement lens in my left eye And recommended a laser treatment to remove the foging.
For many years every time I went to the ophthalmologist I had scans and pictures taken by several different pieces of equipment. It got so that if there was a chair with a machine in front of it I knew to sit down in that chair.
It was not those machines that caught my diabetic macular edema, it was caught during a visual exam after I got shingles on my face. Until then I did not know shingles could effect your eyes, they were not the cause of my edema.
I ended up leaving that doctor because the edema treatment never ended even though the edema was gone.
My current doctor takes no pictures at all, just a visual exam each yearly visit. I trust this guy and have come to believe that I had been put through unnecessary test by my former just to pad his revenue.
I use them in my Christmas card letters. Everyone seems to love them. I mean they replaced pictures of my gallbladder 15 years ago. Those were not a big hit but I did love the wonderful little rocks.
My buddy said his granddaughter uses them for coloring. Always glad to help out. Oh and it makes my portion of the Christmas letter so much easier. When it comes to my update I just write see attachment A.
LOL
5 Likes
Ohh, an internet friend told me this happened to her. I had never heard of this before. Oh boy, I would never have endured all those dilated eye exams…No no no!
1 Like
Yes, the video game is the one they give me.
VA Opthamology took photos for ophthamologist read and came back no retinopathy. 2-3 months later in person exam by a different ophthamologist or optometrist finds retinopathy in both eyes.
Shingles! Arg! I had a case on my neck and face, but thankfully not near my eyes. Poor you. Have you gotten the shingles vaccine? I would like to, but very expensive.