Epiretinal fibrosis of the eye - what is it? Definition, diagnosis, treatment methods

Older people often have different vision problems. One of the diseases that cause them is epiretinal fibrosis of the eye. What it is, it's hard to imagine a young healthy person. But people who have crossed the sixty-year boundary, face such a disease quite often.

Epiretinal fibrosis of the eye: what is it?

The initial stage of the disease most often occurs unnoticed for a person. At this stage, an epiretinal membrane begins to form in the center of the retina. It looks like a thin transparent film.

A whitish formation begins to deform the retina. It pulls it together. Because of this effect, the retina becomes wrinkled and folded.

Over time, the epiretinal membrane begins to become stiffer and thicken. Fibrous changes cause retinal edema and contribute to its rupture. All this is manifested in the deterioration of human vision.

Symptoms

The manifestation of signs of the disease becomes a complete surprise for the elderly. They feel the symptoms accompanying epiretinal fibrosis of the eye. What this is and why the problems with eyesight have begun, - the old people can not understand.

Most often, patients notice such anomalies:

• There are blind spots;
• Straight lines are bent;
• There are problems with the examination of small items;
• There are problems when reading;
• The ability to see in a poorly lit place is deteriorating;
• The picture is clouded;
• Contours of objects are distorted;
• Double in the eyes.

In the absence of medical care, the manifestation of pathology is enhanced. The correct description of the symptoms to the doctor is of great importance for determining the degree of development of the disease and the need for the timing of its treatment.

Causes

For the correct diagnosis and control of the disease it is important to determine not only the forms of its manifestation, but also the causes. In most cases, epiretinal ocular fibrosis develops idiopathically. Its occurrence has no reason. Doctors conclude that this happens against the background of age-related changes in the body.

However, in some cases, factors that give impetus for the development of anomalies are available. Their definition is important for proper diagnosis and treatment prognosis.

There are cases when such a disease, as uveitis, caused epiretinal fibrosis of the eye. What it is? Inflammation of the choroid of the eyeball. Uveitis is a collective name for a group of inflammations. The pathological process can be localized in different parts of the eye's shell.

Other causes of epiretinal eye fibrosis are:

• retinal detachment;
• Transferred ophthalmic operations;
• Retinopathy caused by diabetes mellitus;
• Injury.

Diagnostics

Early treatment for health increases the chances of restoring vision. Correctly diagnose epiretinal fibrosis of the eye can be an ophthalmologist and a surgeon.

The specialist should conduct a visual examination of the patient and listen to his complaints. To collect a complete medical history, the following data are specified:

• Time of appearance of the first signs of the disease;
• Problems with vision in the past;
• Obtaining eye injuries;
• Symptoms of concomitant diseases;
• Presence of any chronic ailments.

Very often, when examining very old people, epiretinal fibrosis of the eye and cataract is diagnosed. In this case, treatment is carried out both diseases immediately. Correctly compiled case history helps the specialist to design an optimal scheme for fighting pathologies.

Folk remedies

Very rarely, the separation of the film that deforms the retina occurs spontaneously. Vision begins to recover gradually. Sometimes it helps to defeat epiretinal fibrosis of the eye by treatment with folk remedies.

For example, a remedy is prepared from leaves of cranberries, calendula flowers and medicinal camomile. Herbs are crushed and mixed in equal amounts. Of them, a decoction is made. Take this remedy twice a day for one and a half months. Before this, you should always consult a doctor.

Preparing for an operation

In most cases, there is no independent rejection of the film. The patient is increasingly developing epiretinal fibrosis of the eye. Treatment in this case is only prompt.

Before surgery, the patient is examined by an endocrinologist, an otolaryngologist and a dentist. These doctors examine the patient for possible postoperative complications.

The next step in preparing for a surgical intervention is the delivery of tests. Blood and urine tests are done:

• Indicating the level of sugar;
• are common;
• On hepatitis, HIV, Wasserman's reaction.

The final stage of preparation is the removal of the electrocardiogram and the study of the fluorogram. After this, the day of the operation is assigned.

Surgical intervention

The process of getting rid of the anomaly occurs under local anesthesia. To perform the operation, you must have:

• Special solutions;
• Devices for feeding them into the eye;
• Dissipating lenses;
• A device that supplies light;
• Microscope.

Only an experienced ophthalmic surgeon must remove the affected membrane, eliminating epiretinal fibrosis of the eye. The operation is very delicate and requires the jeweler's precision of the doctor's work. It consists of several stages:

• The place of fibrous formation is the removal of the vitreous body;
• The tissue located in the molecular region is excised;
• To prevent the displacement of the retina, the missing volume is filled with saline solution.

If the surgical outcome is successful, the patient again sees the surrounding world without abnormal distortions.

Sometimes you may need a second operation.

Recovery

With a successful outcome, the patient goes home the same day. The doctor prescribes the use of antibacterial and anti-inflammatory eye aids. Their use helps:

• Reduce the risk of infection;
• Reduce the likelihood of edema;
• Prevent complications.

There is a list of recommendations that make it easier to post-operative rehabilitation. The main rules are:

• Periodic visit to the doctor;
• Temporary suspension of driving;
• Avoid watching TV, reading, using a computer;
• Absence of mechanical influence on the eyes (friction, pressure, carding);
• Wearing sunglasses.

Implementation of recommendations allows to accelerate the process of recovery and prevent the development of possible postoperative complications.

It is also worth remembering that the development of epiretinal fibrosis of the eye can not be prevented. There is no method of preventing the disease. However, timely detection of the disease is possible. For this it is necessary to undergo an examination with an ophthalmologist every six months.