Retinal Laser Treatment

Laser treatment is commonly performed for many retinal conditions. Each type of laser treatment is different. However, there are several common features. Retinal laser treatments are usually performed as an outpatient procedure in the office. The actual laser treatment takes only about 15 minutes. However, the entire office visit may extend to over two hours due to the time necessary to prepare the patient for laser, as well as the post treatment care. A longer period may need to be allowed for the dilation of the eye. The eye must be more completely dilated for the laser treatment than for an eye examination.

There is only mild discomfort associated with most retinal laser treatments. Depending on the type of treatment, different anesthetics are used. Many treatments require only anesthetic eye drops. These drops numb the eye where the patient feels very little with the laser. Some laser treatments do involve greater discomfort, and occasionally an anesthetic injection is required. If the injection is required, the patient goes home with a patch over the eye. The injection is administered in the eyelid next to the eye - not into the eye itself. Your doctor’s decision about whether to use an anesthetic injection will depend on several factors including how extensive a treatment is planned.

During the laser treatment, there is a contact lens on the eye. The lens comes off at the end of the treatment. With the anesthetic medication, you do not feel the lens on the eye. During the laser treatment, the doctor is looking at the retina to see the area he or she is treating. Therefore, throughout the treatment, there is a very bright light, like the light used to examine the eye. Afterward, the vision is blurry for several hours from the bright light. Depending on the type of laser performed, it may take several hours to several days for the vision to return to its pre-laser level.

After the laser treatment, the eye may feel scratchy or irritated for several hours. There may also be some eye discomfort or a headache on that side. Usually people do not need anything stronger than Tylenol. You should check with your eye doctor to see what pain medications are acceptable after the laser treatment. It is usually recommended that the patient not plan on doing much for the rest of the day after laser treatment. With the vision blurry and the eye feeling uncomfortable, it is usually recommended that you do not drive or work that day. However, most patients are able to return to their normal activities the following day.

New laser treatments for macular degeneration are done with the infusion of a drug and the use of a cold laser. The drug is light sensitive and reacts to light. The laser used for this procedure has a special wave length, which only affects the drug and spares all surrounding tissue. The use of this laser is restricted to certain types of macular degeneration. Your physician at Illinois Retina Associates would let you know if you are eligible for the use of this laser.