Special Services

Our physicians dedicate themselves to the management of sight-threatening diseases and The Retina Institute provides services specifically designed to treat patients with ocular inflammation and tumors of the eye.

Inflammation inside the eye is called uveitis and it is one of the leading causes of blindness in the United States.  Tumors can form in or around the eye.  Ocular oncology involves the study and treatment of these growths.

  Below is information on the causes, symptoms and treatment of these pathologies.

Uveitis services

What is uveitis?

The uvea is the pigmented vascular layer of the eye and consists of the iris, ciliary body and choroid.  Most of the intraocular blood vessels that feed the eye are located there.  Inflammation of any section of the uvea is called uveitis.  This swelling can cause pain and/or loss of vision, since it can affect many very important parts of the eye including the retina, cornea and sclera.

What are the symptoms of uveitis?

A number of symptoms may occur with uveitis including pain, light sensitivity, redness of the eye, blurred vision, and floaters.
 

Ocular Oncology services

What is ocular oncology?

Although rare, ocular tumors may appear in almost all tissues of the eye including the iris, orbit, lacrimal gland and eyelid. Ocular oncology entails the study, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of these abnormal growths that involve the eye.

What are the symptoms of an ocular tumor?

Often a tumor may develop without causing a patient any symptoms.  Their discovery frequently takes place during a routine eye examination by an ophthalmologist or optometrist. Sometimes blurry or distortion vision may result as the tumor grows in size.  Sudden loss of eyesight may happen if the retina become detached as a result of the tumor.

What are the different types of ocular tumors?

Some common types of ocular growths include: melanoma, retinoblastoma, hemangioma, and choroidal nevus

A melanoma is a life-threatening, dark-colored tumor prone to spreading.

A retinoblastoma is a tumor that primarily occurs in infants.  This malignant growth is a hereditary condition.

Hemangioma is a benign congenital growth usually made of blood vessels.

A choroidal nevus is a flat, pigmented, benign lesion (freckle) in the blood vessel layer of the eye.  A nevus rarely transforms into a malignant growth.