Angiopathy of the retina

Blood vessels are an important structural component of the visual apparatus.They feed the cells, ensuring the full functioning of all structures. When the blood flow is disturbed, a decrease in visual acuity and other ophthalmic manifestations develop. One of the most common ailments of the circulatory system is angiopathy of the retina, in which the tone of the vessels decreases due to the violation of nervous regulation.Today there are effective methods of treatment, but the prognosis for recovery depends entirely on the timeliness of the doctor's appointment.

Definition of disease

Under retinal angiopathy, it is customary to understand not an independent disease, but a similar symptom characteristic of a number of systemic diseases.The disease is characterized by a change in the large and small vessels of the visual apparatus, which are due to the violation of nervous regulation. Over time, the blood becomes too thick, which leads to a worsening of its circulation.

If you do not start treatment on time, the pathological changes in the retina occur, the visual acuity worsens, right down to complete blindness.Plus, the risk of hemophilia increases. In this case, the diagnosis of angiopathy in the early stages is very difficult, because in the early stages there are no external manifestations of the disease.

Angiopathy is a reversible pathology that occurs mainly in people after 30 years, but there are cases of diagnosing an illness in childhood.

Over time, the disease turns into a more complex and severe form - retinopathy, in which irreversible processes in the visual structures occur.

Types and Classification

Due to the fact that angiopathy is a secondary symptom, it is common to divide all kinds of this ailment depending on the etiology.

1. Hypotonic or primary angiopathy. Occurs when the disease directly affects the blood vessels of the eye. For example, in a child, pathology can be triggered by hypoxia or individual features of the structure of the vessels. In adults, angiopathy of this species appears against the background of neurocirculatory dystonia - the main problem in diseases of the vegetative-vascular system;
2. Background or secondary angiopathy. It develops because of a systemic primary disease, for which vascular damage is only an indirect manifestation. In this group there are several varieties of pathology:
   • Diabetic. Violation of the circulation of blood vessels occurs against the background of diabetes mellitus of any type. The main cause of the ailment in the accumulation of polysaccharides in the blood, which reduces the lumen of blood vessels and slows the blood flow. It is believed that this form has the highest risk of visual hemorrhage, as the vascular walls become thinner and become weaker over time;
   • Dysoric (Morel's angiopathy). Can occur only in patients with Alzheimer's disease (senile dementia). Pathology develops due to the accumulation of amyloid substances on the walls of blood vessels;
   • Hypertensive. The disease develops because of chronic high blood pressure. There are a number of manifestations in all types of vessels. With the development of angiopathy, pathological processes affect the retina, as well as the eyeball;
   • Traumatic. It is associated with damage to the cervical spine or cerebral trauma of the brain, as a result of which the innervation of the vessels is violated, which leads to their pathology. Angiopathy is often accompanied by increased cranial pressure;
   • Youth (Illza disease). The causes of this type of angiopathy are still unclear. There is an opinion that changes in the functioning of the circulatory system of the visual apparatus arise because of the restructuring of all body systems and unstable hormonal background. The disease is accompanied by small hemorrhages in the retina tissue, inflammatory processes in the vessels occur.

In rare cases, several factors cause angiopathy. This leads to a rapid development of the disease and significantly complicates the treatment.

Causes

Angiopathy occurs only against a background of a systemic disease or trauma. There are several most common diseases, accompanied by problems with the blood flow:

• Hypertension and hypotension of any origin.Most often they are caused by diseases of the cardiovascular system;
• Diabetes;
• Angiopathy in the pubertal period;
• Oncological blood diseases;
• FROMcoliosis and mechanical damage to the spine, craniocerebral trauma;
• Atherosclerotic processes.

In addition, there are a number of factors that can trigger the development of the disease:

• Alcohol abuse and smoking;
• Harmful working conditions at work;
• Intoxication of any type, exposure to radiation;
• Congenital pathologies of the structure of blood vessels;
• Old age.

According to statistics, the disease is much more often diagnosed in the elderly, which is associated not only with the development of systemic diseases at this age, but also degenerative processes in the visual apparatus.

Symptoms

Regardless of the form and etiology of angiopathy, there are a number of characteristic signs that increase as the primary disease or syndrome develops.

• Reduction of visual acuity, as well as ophthalmologic disorders- blurred vision, temporary blindness, flickering scotoma;
• Development of myopia, especially with angiopathy during puberty;
• Pthe appearance of flies and lightning before the eyes;
• Sensation of pulsation in the eyes;
• Increased intraocular pressure, pain during movement of the eyeball;
• Hemorrhages in various eye structures, the appearance of hemophthalmia;
• In severe cases of illness in the urine and feces are found blood clots.

When examining the eyes, you can see distinct yellow spots, branched small vessels, and bursting capillaries on the eyeball or sclera.

Possible complications

With a long course of angiopathy, reversible and irreversible ophthalmic disorders occur.The risk of developing optic nerve atrophy is significantly increased, and visual acuity is reduced, up to complete blindness of one or both eyes. Due to the regular disturbance of blood flow, severe visual ailments may arise-cataracts or glaucoma. In complex forms of angiopathy, bleeding often occurs in the vitreous or retina, which causes complete or partial dysfunction of these visual structures.

Diseases from the retina: retinoschisis, detachment, macular degeneration.

Diagnostics

Pathology is most often found during a planned visit to the ophthalmologist when examining the fundus. In this case, a characteristic narrowing or widening of the walls of the blood vessels is observed, as well as the position of the yellow body. For an accurate diagnosis, additional research methods are used:

• Ultrasound of the vessels of the visual apparatususing Doppler or duplex scanning of the retina. This allows not only to determine the anatomical changes, but also to evaluate the physiological characteristics;
• X-ray with contrast agent. It is necessary to assess the patency of blood vessels and determine the speed of blood flow;
• MRI and CTare prescribed only in severe cases of angiopathy. With the help of them, it is possible to comprehensively assess the state of the soft tissues of the eye, to reveal pathological changes.

  MRI

Often assigned common for all ophthalmic syndromes study - a general analysis of blood and urine, ophthalmoscopy and visometry.

Features of treatment

Therapy with angiopathy is always complex and is aimed not only at eliminating visual manifestations, but also in treating the disease that caused the development of this pathology. Virtually always use only conservative methods, since surgery is only necessary in complicated cases, when deterioration of the blood supply leads to various dysfunctions of the vitreous or retina. Here is an example of a medicamental strategy for the treatment of angiopathy:

• Reception of medicines aimed at general improvement of blood supply:Vazonit, Actovegin, Arbiflex, Cavinton and others;

  Cavinton is taken with retinal angiopathy

• Means to reduce the permeability of blood vessels: Parmidin or Dobesilat calcium;
• Preparations for the dilution of blood, which is necessary to prevent the formation of thrombi: Aspirin, Heparin or Dipyridamole;
• Vitamin therapy.Particularly important is the intake of B vitamins, as well as C and E;

  Products containing vitamins useful for vision

• To combat ophthalmic manifestations of the disease, prescribe vasodilator and vitaminized drops for the eyes: Taufon, Emoksipin, Anthocyan Fort, Blueberry Fort and others.

  Drops Taufon used to combat ophthalmic manifestations of the disease

When angiopathy during pregnancy, the use of medications is undesirable because of the harmful effects on the fetus. During this period, regular monitoring of the physician and the passage of physiological procedures are necessary to prevent the development of complications.

To achieve a greater effect, in parallel with the administration of medicines, a therapeutic diet is developed and a course of physiological procedures, for example, magnetotherapy, laser irradiation and acupuncture.

Magnetotherapy is effective in retinal angiopathy

Surgical procedures are an extreme measure in the therapy of angiopathy.Operative treatment is necessary in cases of heavy hemorrhages in the visual structures, as well as in the detachment of the retina due to the violation of blood circulation. In recent years, complete or partial removal of the vitreous body (vitrectomy) and laser coagulation has been used at the risk of irreversible pathologies in the patient's retina.

Laser Coagulation Procedure

Prevention

Due to the fact that angiopathy is an incidental symptom in many systemic diseases, the development of pathology can be prevented at all stages of the course of the disease.For this, it is necessary to treat systemic diseases in time, and also to consult a doctor in time when ophthalmic manifestations are detected.

Refusal from smoking and alcohol, adherence to the work regime, full sleep and nutrition are not reliable preventive measures, but help to reduce the risk of angiopathy, as well as prevent complications when ailment.

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conclusions

In ophthalmic practice, angiopathy is a common pathology, as it can cause many systemic diseases, as well as diseases of the retina.Modern methods of medicine and pharmacology can treat violations of blood vessels almost any gravity, but the timeliness of circulation is the most important condition effectiveness of therapy.Due to the fact that the disease often occurs in the elderly, a regular visit to a doctor at this age is a mandatory requirement for maintaining overall health and eye safety.