What is a macular hole, who sees it?
Macula is the name of the place located in the center of the retina, which is the nerve layer of our eye, and is also called the yellow spot. We do most of our daily tasks, such as driving, reading, recognizing faces, and watching television, thanks to the detailed vision created by the macula. When a hole develops in our macula, our central vision is impaired and we have difficulty performing tasks that require detailed vision. Macular hole usually occurs as a result of the separation of the gel layer in people over the age of 50. As the gel layer of the eye separates from the macula, the remaining gel pieces shrink and the shrinkage in the macula may cause a hole to form. Macular hole may develop in young people after eye trauma.
What are the symptoms of macular hole?
In the early stages of macular hole, there are complaints such as decreased central vision and seeing objects crookedly. . As the disease progresses, vision decreases further and a dark spot appears in the middle of the visual center. Patients have difficulty reading, watching TV, and recognizing faces.
How is the diagnosis made in macular hole?
After routine eye examination, the pupils are dilated with drops and the back of the eye (macula) is examined. ) is examined with special lenses. If a macular hole is suspected, your doctor may perform an optical coherence tomography (OCT-eye tomography) examination. With this examination, one can comment on the size of the macular hole, its duration, and the viability of the visual cells and get an idea about the healing process after treatment.
What happens if the treatment of the macular hole is delayed or not treated?
In the macular hole, progressive and permanent damage occurs to the visual cells at a slow rate. If the disease is treated early, very good vision levels can often be achieved again. In cases with late surgery, even if the hole is closed most of the time, the level of vision may remain low because the cells in the visual center are permanently damaged.
What is the treatment for macular hole?
Treatment method for macular hole. It is a vitrectomy surgery. In most cases, the hole closes in a short time, but vision increases over a longer period of months. In this surgery, there is a lot of damage to the eye. Eye gel is removed by using small surgical instruments. The eye cavity is filled with a special gas. After the surgery, the patient stands facing the ground and the gas is allowed to cover the hole and the hole closes automatically. During this process, it is very important to keep your head tilted forward and towards the ground so that the gas covers the hole. After a few weeks, the gas will disappear on its own.
Read: 0
