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Simona remembers that the onset of the illness was mild and she did not feel any complaints for a long time. “Everything seemed normal to me, my vision did not change. Then, blood vessels began to grow in the retina of the eyes, which at any moment could be missing and damage the vision, but even so I did not feel bad, “he says.
The woman who woke up one morning was scared, she could no longer see with one eye. “I realized that there were no delays, so I ran to the Kaunas clinics without expecting anything. The doctors said that the blood had spilled into one of the eye’s retinas, so it would have to be operated on ”, recalls Simona.
Diabetic retinopathy is most often diagnosed in patients with diabetes for more than five years. Head of the Retina Diseases Sector, Ophthalmology Association. Vilma Jūratė Balčiūnienė says that diabetes mainly affects the walls of the blood vessels in the retina of the eye.
“In the early stage of diabetic retinopathy, there are often no symptoms and only later blurred vision, visible spots, poor color vision,” the associate professor speaks about the disease. “As circulatory disorders progress in the retina, new blood vessels begin to grow, reducing or damaging the macular area, reducing visual acuity, or causing vision loss.”
Due to spilled blood and impending blindness, Simonai performed vitrectomy surgery at the Kaunas clinics. “During the operation, blood was drawn from the vitreous and growing blood vessels in the retina. The injected silicone oil returned the bounced retina to its place, “explains the complexity of the procedure. VJ Balčiūnienė.
The ophthalmologist observes that new blood vessels also grew in the patient’s healthy eye, the area of the macula, responsible for central vision, swelled, and therefore, to preserve vision, this eye was started with laser and vitreous injections. .
Simona no longer needs active treatment, but her eye condition is constantly monitored by ophthalmologists. “After the operations, the acuity of vision was maintained in one healthy eye and vision improved in the other eye,” says the ophthalmologist. “If the disease progresses again, blood vessels grow in the retina or diabetic macular edema develops, Simonas would resume and continue injecting into the vitreous.”
Simona believes that the most difficult thing in diabetic retinopathy is accepting the diagnosis. “I knew I could be missing a blood vessel and hurt my eyes, but when that happens, I realize you’re never ready for it,” says the woman. “After the operation, I feel good, although my eyes tire faster and sometimes they tie, but I can drive and work.”
“I am glad that the sincere doctor of ophthalmology doc. With the help of VJ Balčiūnienė, the ophthalmologist Saulius Ačas and the doctors from all the other clinics in Kaunas, he helped me preserve my vision and learn to live with the disease, ”says Simona.
The Kaunas Clinics Eye Disease Clinic is the largest institution providing ophthalmic services in Lithuania, where eye care interventions of different complexity are performed and care is provided to patients with oncological and rare eye diseases.
The latest technologies installed in the updated operating rooms allow the application of the most innovative treatment methods for retina, cataract, cornea and refractive surgery. The Kaunas Clinics Eye Disease Clinic is the first university hospital in the Baltic States to use innovative femtosecond laser cataract surgical treatment.
