Cystoid Macular Edema
Cystoid macular edema or CME, is a painless disorder which affects the central retina or macula.
Cystoid Macular Edema:
What is Cystoid Macular Edema?
The macula is located in the retina and is responsible for central vision, including the ability to see fine detail, distance, and colour. Innocent swelling of the macula is known as cystoid macular edoema (CME). Multiple fluid-filled cysts form in the macula as the swelling progresses.
Cystoid Macular Edema
Blurred or wavy central vision
Colors may appear different
May experience difficulty in reading
Causes of Cystoid Macular Edema
Recent eye surgery (particularly cataract surgery)
Diabetic retinopathy
Uveitis
Retinal vascular disease
Age related macular degeneration
Injury to the eye
Side effects of medications
Cystoid Macular Edema Risk Factors
Surgical causes (following eye surgery)
Metabolic conditions (diabetes)
Blood vessel diseases (vein occlusion/blockage)
Aging (macular degeneration)
Traction on the macula (macular hole, macular pucker, and vitreomacular traction)
Inflammatory conditions (sarcoidosis, uveitis)
Macular Edema Diagnosis
An ophthalmologist can help with the diagnosis by doing a dilated fundus examination. Extra examinations can be requested to record and quantify macula thickness.
Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT): It scans the retina and provides very detailed images of its thickness. This helps your doctor find leakage and measure swelling of the macula. It can also be used to follow the response to treatment
Fundus Fluorescein Angiography (FFA): For this test, fluorescein dye is injected into a peripheral vein in the hand or forearm. A series of photographs is taken of the retina as the dye passes through its blood vessels
Macular Edema Treatment
First and foremost is addressing the underlying cause of the macular edema, and the related leakage and retinal swelling.
Treatment can include:
- Topical NSAIDS: Non Steroidal anti inflammatory drugs can be given as eye drops to cure the swelling.
- Steroid treatment: When macular edema is caused by inflammation, steroids can be given either as drops,tablets or as injections into the eye.
- Intravitreal injections: Anti Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor( Anti-VEGF)medicines given as intravitreal injections into the eye helps to reduce the growth of abnormal blood vessels in the retina, and also decreases leaking from blood vessels.
- Laser treatment: With this tiny laser pulses are applied to the areas of fluid leakage around the macula. The goal is to stabilize vision by sealing off leaking blood vessels
- Vitrectomy surgery: When macular edema is caused by vitreous pulling on the macula, a procedure called a vitrectomy may be needed to restore the macula to its normal (lying flat) shape.