Participating in sports can have a host of benefits, including enhanced physical and mental health. Along with the positive impact of playing sports, there is a risk of physical injury including those that can affect vision.

On this episode of ASRS’s Retina Health for Life, Dr. Timothy Murray is joined by Dr. Harry Flynn and Dr. Landon Rohowetz of the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami to discuss the types of retina injuries that athletes often face and the treatments retina specialists can utilize to help preserve their vision.

Resources:

Access the Sports Safety for Retina Health patient guide in English or Spanish here: www.asrs.org/patients/patient-education-materials. 

People with diabetes are at risk for developing diabetic eye disease, which can result in vision loss and blindness. And people with early stages of diabetic eye disease may experience few if any symptoms. But losing sight from diabetes is far from a foregone conclusion, especially with regular dilated eye exams, early diagnosis, and treatment advances made possible by retina specialists.

On this episode, Dr. Timothy Murray discusses the importance of diabetic eye disease awareness with two special guests: Dr. Emily Chew, the deputy clinical director at the National Eye Institute (NEI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), and Dr. Judy Kim, president of the American Society of Retina Specialists, and National Eye Health Education Program (NEHEP) Planning Group member.

Resources: 

• Access the National Eye Institute's Diabetic Eye Disease Resources at: www.nei.nih.gov/learn-about-eye-health/outreach-campaigns-and-resources/diabetic-eye-disease-resources.  
• Learn more about the National Eye Health Education Program (NEHEP) and its six program areas at www.nei.nih.gov/learn-about-eye-health/outreach-campaigns-and-resources/national-eye-health-education-program
• Access the American Society of Retina Specialists' information on diabetic retinopathy at www.SeeforaLifetime.org/Diabetic Retinopathy and downloadable resources at www.SeeforaLifetime.org/Resources. 

February is age-related macular degeneration (AMD) awareness month, an opportunity to bring needed attention to this common retinal disease which impacts more than 11 million people in the US alone. On this episode of ASRS's Retina Health for Life, Dr. Joshua Mali, Medical Director of the Macular Degeneration Association (MDA) joins  Dr. Timothy Murray to discuss the patient education and support offered by MDA to people diagnosed with AMD as well as the latest  in AMD treatment advances that are helping many with the condition see for a lifetime.

Resources:
Access a downloadable fact sheet on AMD at: https://www.asrs.org/patients/retinal-diseases/2/age-related-macular-degeneration

Macular Degeneration Association: www.MacularHope.org

Diabetes is a major public health issue and every person diagnosed with diabetes is at risk of developing diabetic eye disease. Diabetic macular edema is a common complication of diabetic eye disease, which occurs when blood vessels in the retina are damaged and leak fluid into the macula causing blurry central vision. On this episode of ASRS's Retina Health for Life,  Dr. Diana Do of the Byers Eye Institute at the Stanford University School of Medicine joins Dr. Timothy Murray to discuss the importance of early diagnosis and immediate treatment of diabetic macular edema by a retina specialist which can prevent irreversible vision loss and blindness. 

Resources:
Access a downloadable fact sheet on Diabetic Macular Edema here: www.asrs.org/patients/retinal-diseases/20/macular-edema 

It seems like science fiction to restore the sight of a person who has been blind for years, but innovations in the field of retina have made the impossible possible. On this episode of ASRS’s Retina Health for Life, Dr. Timothy Murray is joined by the co-inventor of the artificial retina Dr. Mark Humayun, co-Director of USC’s Roski Eye Institute and a world-renowned expert on vision restoration. Drs. Humayun and Murray discuss the development of this technological breakthrough, which has helped people with certain inherited retinal conditions almost miraculously regain some of their sight.

Resources:

Access a downloadable fact sheet about retinitis pigmentosa and retinal prosthesis at www.asrs.org/patients/retinal-diseases/8/retinitis-pigmentosa-and-retinal-prosthesis.

Retina patients have a critical role to play in maintaining their retinal health by seeking out treatment from a retina specialist, becoming informed about their condition and following through on their treatment plan. On this episode of ASRS's Retina Health for Life,  Dr. J. Michael Jumper of West Coast Retina in San Francisco joins Dr. Timothy Murray to discuss how patients can partner with their retina specialist to help preserve their vision and improve treatment outcomes.

Resources:

Access a downloadable patient guide on healthy habits that support healthy retinas here: https://www.asrs.org/content/documents/patients-guide-to-healthy-habits-for-healthy-vision-final.pdf

Did you know that your clear view of the world, the one that allows you to read, drive and recognize faces, relies on the health of your retinas? On this episode of ASRS’s Retina Health for Life, retina specialist Dr. Ryan Rich of Retina Consultants of Southern Colorado joins Dr. Timothy Murray to discuss what the retina is, how they make healthy vision possible and common retinal conditions everyone should be aware of to preserve healthy vision.

Resources:
Access a downloadable patient guide on healthy habits that support healthy retinas at https://www.asrs.org/content/documents/patients-guide-to-healthy-habits-for-healthy-vision-final.pdf.

Retinopathy of prematurity is a retinal condition that can affect premature infants, and is the most common cause of vision loss in children. On this episode of ASRS's Retina Health for Life,  Dr. R.V. Paul Chan of the Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary at the University of Illinois at Chicago joins Dr. Timothy Murray to discuss why screening premature infants for the condition is critical to early diagnosis and personalized treatment that can help many children preserve their vision.  

Resources: 

Access a downloadable fact sheet on Retinopathy of Prematurity here: http://www.asrs.org/patients/retinal-diseases/17/retinopathy-of-prematurity