Eye Injuries

Eye injuries are often painful and can lead to sight loss. Highly skilled ophthalmologists Hetal Vaishnav, MD, Gary Ganiban, MD, and their colleagues at Atlantic Retina Consultants excel at diagnosing and treating eye injuries. The practice has offices in Melbourne, Merritt Island, Palm Bay, Titusville, and Rockledge, Florida, where patients benefit from outstanding treatment. Call Atlantic Retina Consultants or book an appointment online today for prompt eye injury care.

What are eye injuries?

Common eye injuries include:

Trauma

A blow can cause bruising, swelling, and pain around the eye and sometimes cut the eyelid. Trauma to the bone surrounding your eye can cause an orbital fracture and stretch or tear the eye muscles. Eye surface bleeding (hemorrhage) can also happen.

Chemical irritation

Chemical fumes and other irritants can burn the eyes.

Corneal abrasion

Foreign objects, contact lenses, and fingernails can scratch the cornea at the front of your eye. Grit, dirt, and other debris could get stuck in the eye, causing abrasions.

Atlantic Retina Consultants also specializes in treating retinal tears and detachments. The eye’s retina is a delicate tissue at the back of your eye that enables you to see. A tear or detachment can cause severe sight problems.

What causes retinal tears and detachments?

Retinal tears happen when the vitreous fluid in your eye shrinks, pulling on the retina. The pulling can tear or break the tissue.

Retinal detachment is where your retina comes away from its usual position. Seek medical attention immediately if you develop retinal detachment symptoms, which can cause permanent sight loss.

How do I know if my eye injury is a retinal tear or detachment?

Retinal tears often result in uncomfortable symptoms like flashing lights and floaters (moving dark spots).

Retinal detachment is painless, but you might develop blurry vision, see light flashes, or suddenly have many floaters. The detachment gradually reduces your peripheral vision (what you see at the edges of your field of sight).

How are retinal eye injuries treated?

Treatment choices for retinal eye injuries include:

Laser surgery

Laser surgery involves heating tiny pinpoints on your retina (photocoagulation) to create scarring. The scar tissue binds your torn retina to the underlying tissue.

Cryopexy

Cryopexy involves putting a freezing probe on the external wall of your eye to treat retinal tears. The intense cold extends inside your eye, freezing the retina.

Pneumatic retinopexy

In this procedure, your eye doctor injects air or gas into the eye. It helps repair some forms of retinal detachment, often in combination with laser photocoagulation or cryopexy.

Scleral buckling

This surgery involves sewing a small silicone fragment to the sclera (the outside eye surface).

Vitrectomy

Vitrectomy involves removing and replacing the vitreous fluid in your eyeball.

Call Atlantic Retina Consultants or book an appointment online today for expert eye injury care.