An important health reminder

Because many of my readers are senior citizens (and I'm well on my way to joining them, having recently turned 57), I occasionally dedicate one of my daily e-mails to an important health issue...

I'm talking about things like obesity and the miraculous new weight-loss drugs, the importance of getting a colonoscopy, my dad's experience with hearing aids, etc. (In the coming days, as we move farther into the holiday season, I'll also be dedicating more e-mails to important topics of interest to me... so stay tuned.)

Today, here's another health issue to discuss...

During my tennis tournament in Florida nearly two years ago, I noticed a few black threads floating in the right side of my vision. I ignored them and they went away, but then they came back a day later.

I thought the cause was likely so many hours of tennis in the bright sunlight, but then I noticed them again when I was back in New York. I called my optometrist, who had me come right in.

After a bunch of tests, he diagnosed posterior vitreous detachment ("PVD") in my right eye and immediately sent me to see an ophthalmologist who's a retina specialist, who conducted further tests.

Here's how they explained PVD: as people get older, the vitreous gel that fills their eye shrinks and pulls away from the retina. In most cases, it's like a Post-It note peeling off a wall – no problem at all. But sometimes it's like duct tape peeling off, which tears the wallpaper. As the American Society of Retina Specialists notes:

In most cases, [PVD] happens without any issue.

However, in people who have an inherently more "sticky" vitreous, as the vitreous separates from the retina, it pulls abnormally... and causes the retina to tear.

In these scans of my retina from a couple of years ago and today, you can see the black spot in the latter (which I've circled in white) that indicates a tear (there was also another tear in the upper right part of my eye that can't be seen in these images):

There isn't much that can be done about these tears and the resulting occasional weirdness in my vision, though hopefully my brain will adjust so I don't notice it.

On the other hand, my doctors warned me that there's a 50/50 chance that I would get PVD in my left eye as well in next year, which is, in fact, exactly what they discovered when I went in recently for my one-year checkup.

There's a genetic element to it, so my parents, sister and daughters need to be aware of it.

The real concern is that a retinal tear becomes a retinal detachment, which is when "the liquid vitreous passes through the tear into the space behind the retina, causing the retina to become detached," which is extremely serious. As the Mayo Clinic notes:

Retinal detachment describes an emergency situation in which a thin layer of tissue (the retina) at the back of the eye pulls away from its normal position.

Retinal detachment separates the retinal cells from the layer of blood vessels that provides oxygen and nourishment to the eye. The longer retinal detachment goes untreated, the greater your risk of permanent vision loss in the affected eye...

Regarding the symptoms, the Mayo Clinic continues:

Retinal detachment itself is painless. But warning signs almost always appear before it occurs or has advanced, such as:

• The sudden appearance of many floaters – tiny specks that seem to drift through your field of vision

• Flashes of light in one or both eyes (photopsia)

• Blurred vision

• Gradually reduced side (peripheral) vision

• A curtain-like shadow over your visual field

And here's when the Mayo Clinic advises to see a doctor:

Seek immediate medical attention if you are experiencing the signs or symptoms of retinal detachment. Retinal detachment is a medical emergency in which you can permanently lose your vision.

So, to reduce the chances of my retinal tears turning into a detachment, the ophthalmologist performed a painless, 10-minute procedure called laser photocoagulation. Here's how NYU Langone Health describes it:

During photocoagulation, your eye surgeon numbs your eye with anesthetic eyedrops. The laser is then focused over the retinal tear or small detachment.

The laser emits a beam of light that travels through the eye and burns the area around the retinal tear or detachment to create a scar. This scar tissue helps seal the tear or reattach a detached portion of retina to underlying tissue. With retinal tears, the procedure prevents fluid from traveling underneath the retina, where it can cause detachment.

The ophthalmologist did the procedure once last year to seal up the two tears in my right eye and again recently for the one in my left eye.

I'm pleased to report so far, so good – my eyes have been fine.

My message to you is: if you notice any weirdness in your vision, get it checked out immediately!

Best regards,

Whitney

P.S. I welcome your feedback – send me an e-mail by clicking here.