The macula is the part of the retina that helps us see fine detail, faraway objects, and color. Macular edema happens when abnormal fluid builds up in the macula, making it swell. It is typically caused by increased leakage from damaged retinal blood vessels or growth of abnormal blood vessels in the retina.
It’s a painless condition and usually asymptomatic in the early stages. Patients may later develop
High blood sugar levels due to Diabetes causes leaky blood vessels at the macula.
Here abnormal blood vessels leak fluid and cause macular swelling.
When the veins in the retina become blocked,blood and fluid then leak out into the macula.
such as Retinoschisis or Retinitis Pigmentosa.
Conditions like uveitis, where the body attacks its own tissues, can damage retinal blood vessels and cause swelling of the macula.
Certain drugs have side effects that can lead to macular edema.
Both benign and malignant tumors can lead to macular edema.
It’s not common, but sometimes after glaucome, retinal or cataract surgery, you can get macular edema.
Trauma to the eye.
Anyone with diabetes should have their eyes checked annually, at the least.
People with family history or underlying genetic condition can have a yearly eye examination.
The macular edema may take up to a month to approximately four months to go away.
Rarely, macular edema will go away on its own. However, if you have symptoms of macular edema, it’s important that you see an ophthalmologist right away. If left untreated, macular edema can cause severe vision loss and even blindness. There are several treatment options available for macular edema.
Macular edema is reversible in the early stages but chronic edema may lead to irreversible changes in the retina.
