The Top 10 Questions to Ask Your Retina Specialist

If you have retina issues or a condition that warrants them to be monitored, such as diabetes, it can often feel challenging to understand the risks and terminology. The following looks at the ultimate questions to ask your retina specialist to allow you to fully comprehend the health of your eyes, potential progression, and what you can do to ensure your eyesight remains as good as possible.

Understanding Retina Specialist Speak

• What will happen when you visit a retina specialist?
• Retina specialist: the 10 must-ask queries

What will happen when you visit a retina specialist?

A retinal exam consists of various diagnostic tests that look specifically at the retina—a layer of light-sensitive cells that are attached to the back of the eye.

After carrying out all the regular eye appointment checks, eye drops will be applied to dilate the pupil. This allows the eye doctor to get the best view of the retina. Depending on what is viewed, further diagnostic testing may be necessary.

Retina specialist: the 10 must-ask queries

It can be easy to forget questions when you’re in the eye doctor’s office. Writing them down will ensure you remember to get all the information you need.

1. Do I have a retinal condition and what is it called? Just because you have a retinal examination doesn’t mean that you do have a condition. However, if one is diagnosed, be sure to ask for the name of it. Common issues can be diabetic retinopathy, retinal detachment, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), or a macular hole. 
2. What stage is my condition at? Most retinal conditions are progressive. You’ll need to know if yours is at an early, mid, or late stage.
3. If you have AMD, what type is it? There are two types of AMD—wet and dry.
4. What can be done to treat my condition? There are many different treatments for retinal conditions, with more being developed and brought to the mainstream. Ask your ophthalmologist how they plan to treat yours.
5. How will my condition progress? All retinal conditions are unique to the person, making this a very important question to ask.
6. How will my retinal condition impact my life? Again, this will be specific to your health, condition, the stage of retinal disease, and other factors that could impact its progression.
7. What can I do to slow the rate? There are many lifestyle changes that your specialist will advise. These might include taking certain supplements and vitamins, changing your diet to include natural sources of sight-helping ingredients, increasing exercise if you have a sedentary lifestyle, giving up smoking, reducing alcohol intake, and more.
8. Will I require surgery? This will be dependent on the condition and how far it’s progressed.
9. If I need an operation, what are the risks and what is the expected outcome? Again, this will be unique to you. The information is important to allow you to make an informed decision going forward.
10. How often will I need to have checkups? This could range from every few months to yearly or longer.
11. Will my condition be ultimately sight-threatening? While this can be a frightening question to ask, it’s very relevant. It will also highlight any steps you can take to slow any disease progression and improve the outcome.

Want the Ultimate Retina Specialist? Contact the West Boca Eye Center Today

Retinal expertise doesn’t come any better than from the specialist team at the WBEC. This custom-built, academic-grade eye clinic is a one-stop-shop for everything related to eye health. Patients benefit from a whole-eye-care approach under one roof. This means that whatever your eye needs, there’s never any need to visit an alternative location to access the very latest monitoring and treatments.

From retinal assessment and care, to laser vision correction, cataract surgery, eye emergencies, and routine eye checks, you can relax knowing that your precious eyesight is in the safest of hands. 

Visit https://westbocaeyecenter.com/ to find out more

If you have retina issues or a condition that warrants them to be monitored, such as diabetes, it can often feel challenging to understand the risks and terminology.

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