Macular Edema Symptoms & Treatments

What is Macular Edema?

Macular edema is swelling of the retina (the light-sensitive layer of tissue at the back of your eye). This happens when there is fluid buildup. Although macular edema can distort vision and even cause visual loss, therapy can help minimize swelling and even avoid it in some patients. 

This can change over time, meaning your diagnosis can also change. This is one reason why it is so important to stay proactive about your eye health and attend annual eye exams. Our physicians offer exceptional eye surgery and treatments for macular edema. We are committed to helping you improve your vision and eye health.

Symptoms of Macular Edema

When you first get it, macular edema can often be painless and usually doesn’t have symptoms. When you do have symptoms, it may be a sign that the blood vessels in your eye are leaking.

• Blurry or Distorted Vision
• Colors Appear Faded
• Difficulty Reading

Causes of Macular Edema

Usually caused by leakage from damaged blood vessels, pockets of fluid can form in the macula, causing swelling as a result of macular edema.

Many conditions can cause a leakage of fluid into the macula. These include:

Diabetes

High blood sugar associated with diabetes can damage blood vessels that leak into the macula.

Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD)

With AMD, abnormal blood vessels can leak fluid, causing swelling.

Retinal Vein Occlusion (RVO)

RVO can lead to blood and fluid leaking out into the macula as it causes veins in the retina to become blocked.

Macular Pucker 

Pockets of fluid gather behind the macula when the vitreous in an older and aging eye doesn't entirely separate from it, pulling on it or forming scar tissue.

Inflammatory Conditions 

The macula may swell as a result of conditions like uveitis, in which the body fights its own tissues and damages the retinal blood vessels.

Eye Surgery 

It is uncommon, but sometimes the eye will swell after glaucoma or cataract surgery, leading to macular edema.

Getting Diagnosed 

Macular Edema is diagnosed during a routine eye exam. You’ll want to schedule an appointment with our team of ophthalmologists and doctors if you experience symptoms such as blurry vision, trouble seeing in the dark, eyestrain, or fatigue. Our team of physicians offers safe and reliable eye surgery in areas such as Adrian, Jackson, Toledo, Ann Arbor, Battle Creek, and Kalamazoo. Our doctors will perform a diagnosis to determine the source of your symptoms. We will develop a custom eye care solution to eliminate or alleviate the symptoms of macular edema.

Ways to Diagnose Macular Edema

There are several ways to diagnose macular edema, and they are as follows:

Fluorescein Angiography

With this examination, the physician can see images of the retinal blood vessels. Your arm is given a special dye, and your blood transports the color from your arm to your eye. Then, while the dye passes through the blood vessels in your retina, the physician will use a camera to take pictures.

Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT)

Another technique for closely examining the retina is Optical Coherence Tomography (OTC). The retina is scanned by a scanner, which produces incredibly precise photographs of its thickness. This helps your doctor in detecting leaks and determine the amount of macula swelling.

Amsler Grid 

In this test, the physician will ask you to look at a picture of a grid. This test then tells the physician if you’ve lost any of your central vision. If part of the grid looks wavy or dark, you may have central vision loss.