Retinal Services
Retina Overview
The Eye Care Center of Northern Colorado offers comprehensive retina care by some of the most respected eye doctors in the region. Our fellowship trained retinal surgeons have been providing sub-specialty retina care since 1989. Doctors Elisha Tilton, MD, Carl Noble, DO, Justin Kanoff, MD and Matthew Manry, MD are specialists with fellowship training in the surgical and medical treatment of retinal disorders and ocular inflammatory diseases.
We are expertly staffed and fully equipped to handle any vitreo-retinal disease or emergency.
What can you expect at The Eye Care Center of Northern Colorado for retina treatment:
- Advanced diagnostic testing including optical coherence tomography, fundus photography, wide field retinal angiography and ophthalmic ultrasonography performed by our highly trained and friendly technical staff.
- All retinal laser procedures and retinal surgeries are conducted at the Advanced Vision Surgery Center located adjacent to our Eye Care Center Longmont location.
Meet Our Retina Care Team
Retina Videos
Retinal FAQ's
What does retina treatment include?
Advanced diagnostic testing including optical coherence tomography, fundus photography, wide field retinal angiography and ophthalmic ultrasonography performed by our highly trained and friendly technical staff.
All retinal laser procedures and retinal surgeries are conducted at the Advanced Vision Surgery Center located adjacent to our Eye Care Center Longmont location.
What types of retinal disorders are treated?
Macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, retinal detachment, macular pucker, macular hole, retinal vein or artery occlusion, and retinal tumors.
What is macular degeneration?
Macular degeneration is a disease of the macula, an area of the retina at the back of the eye that is responsible for fine detail vision. This controls our ability to read, drive, recognize faces or colors, and see objects in fine detail. Vision loss usually occurs gradually and typically affects both eyes at different rates. Your risk for macular degeneration increases as you age, and the disease is most likely to occur in those 55 and older.
Our retinal specialists use the latest diagnostic tools, cameras, and retinal scanners to diagnose and monitor the progression of macular degeneration. They will also custom-tailor treatments for each patient to maximize visual outcome.
What is diabetic retinopathy?
Diabetic retinopathy is a diabetes complication that negatively affects the eyes. Over time, too much sugar in the blood leads to the blockage of blood vessels that nourish the retina, cutting off its blood supply. As a result, the eye attempts to grow new blood vessels, but the new blood vessels don’t develop properly and leak easily.
Treatment options include eye injections and laser surgery. Our retina specialists will work with you to figure out the best option depending on the severity of your condition.
What is retinal detachment?
Retinal detachment occurs when the retina is separated from the wall of the eye and the supporting underlying tissue. When this occurs, the retina can no longer perform its primary function and, if the condition is left untreated, an irreversible loss of vision can result.
Surgery is almost always used to repair a retinal tear, hole, or detachment. In many cases, retinal detachment can be repaired, ensuring no long-term interruption of vision. Various techniques are available and you’ll work with our surgeons to determine what procedure or combination of procedures is best for you.
What is macular pucker?
A macular pucker (epiretinal membrane) is a growth of clear tissue over the macula, the portion of the retina that corresponds to the central field of vision. In many cases, macular puckering does not significantly affect vision and may even be unnoticed. However, significant distortion of the contour of the macula may make the vision blurry or distorted.
In many cases, people adjust to the mild vision distortion and blurriness, since it does not affect activities of daily life, such as reading and driving. In more severe cases where significant blurring of vision develops, a surgery called a vitrectomy is performed to improve the contour of the macula over time.
What is macular hole?
A macular hole is a small break in the macula, located in the center of the retina. The macula provides the sharp, central vision we need for reading, driving, and seeing fine detail. A macular hole can cause blurred and distorted central vision.
Treatment is not always required, as about 20% of macular holes will seal themselves. If treatment is required, vitrectomy surgery is recommended in order to remove the vitreous gel in the back of the eye.
What is retinal vein or artery occlusion?
Retinal vascular occlusion is a condition caused by a blockage in the veins or arteries that feed the retina. Constant blood flow is essential for proper retinal function. Once blockage occurs, there is no way to reverse it. However, vision can come back.
Our retina specialists may choose from a variety of treatment options including laser treatments and intravitreal injections.
What are retinal tumors?
Tumors in the eye are usually secondary tumors caused by cancers that have spread from other parts of the body, especially the breast, lung, bowel, or prostate. Two types of primary tumors arise within the eye itself and are known as retinoblastoma in children and melanoma in adults.
There are various ways to treat eye tumors, depending on the diagnosis, size, and aggressiveness of the tumor. Certain small tumors may respond to laser treatment or freezing (cryosurgery). In some instances, it’s possible to remove a tumor surgically and still preserve vision. The retina specialists at Eye Care Center of Northern Colorado are often part of a multidisciplinary team, as many people with retinal tumors are treated by more than one specialist with more than one type of treatment.
How do I know when I should seek treatment for retinal disease?
Many retinal diseases share common symptoms and treatments, but each has unique characteristics. The goal of retinal disease treatments is to stop or slow disease progression and preserve, improve or restore vision. If you experience any of these symptoms, make an appointment immediately:
- Flashing lights
- Floaters/spots/strands
- Shadows
- Straight lines appearing wavy
- Blurry or hazy vision
- Decreased intensity of colors
- Blind spot in your center vision
- Holes in your vision
The Eye Care Center of Northern Colorado has a powerful combination of the best doctors and the best technology to handle any vitreo-retinal disease or emergency.
What is OCTA?
OCT Angiography (OCTA) for the Diagnosis of Retinal Vascular Disorder and Macular Degeneration is a technology that provides advanced diagnostic techniques for retinal diseases. The OCT machine takes 70,000 scans per second of the patient’s retina and uses that information to construct a 3D representation. The software then compares the 3D models created over time and pinpoints objects that are moving – these moving objects are tiny red blood cells. The computer is then able to use this knowledge of the location and movement of red blood cells to construct a model of the patient’s retinal blood vessels – all done without any injection of dye.
This whole process takes about 3 seconds. This new tool does not replace conventional dye-based angiography, but rather compliments it; patients may still require traditional angiography in order to provide the most accurate diagnosis and treatment.
What is MPLT?
At the Eye Care Center of Northern Colorado, we offer Retinal MicroPulse Laser Therapy (MPLT) to safely and effectively treat patients with retinal disorders and open-angle glaucoma.
This technology provides advanced treatment for retinal problems, glaucoma, and other eye disorders. Colorado residents can access this state-of-the-art eye care in our Longmont office.
MicroPulse works by electronically “chopping” the continuous-wave laser emission used in conventional laser treatment, into trains of tiny, repetitive, low-energy pulses separated by a brief rest period in between. This “micropulsing” allows the tissue to cool between laser pulses, preventing damage.
What are the benefits of MPLT?
- Physician can more precisely control the laser on targeted tissues
- Less chance of tissue burns and scarring than conventional laser treatment
- Increased patient comfort and satisfaction
- Outpatient procedure
- Painless, requiring only anesthetic eye drops
- Can be repeated as necessary without harm to the patient’s vision
What are MPLT treatment options?
Macular edema related to:
- Vascular occlusion
- Diabetic retinopathy
- Central retinal vein occlusion
- Branch retinal vein occlusion
- Radiation retinopathy
- Central serous chorioretinopathy
- Open-angle glaucoma
To learn more about Retinal MicroPulse Laser Therapy treatment, contact us today to schedule an eye exam. Our four locations throughout northern Colorafo allow you to receive convenient care close to home.
