Retina: the actual organ of vision, a thin membrane that covers the eye’s interior wall.

Vitreoretinal: involving the retina and vitreous humour

Vitreoretinal interface: the surface of the retina adjacent to the gelatinous vitreous humour. Diseases can arise on the retina’s surface or between the retina and the vitreous humour. These include a macular hole (an aperture going through the retina), epimacular proliferation (membrane folding on the retinal surface) vitreomacular traction syndrome (a lifting of the central part of the retina by pulling away from the vitreous humour) etc.

Detached retina: a separation, lifting up the retina from the bottom, which can cause blindness if not treated.

Macula: the central area of the retina with a diameter of ca 3 mm, used for distinguishing details, reading, recognising faces, driving and so on.

Vitreous humour: a transparent gelatinous substance, filling the eye cavity

Diabetic retinopathy: retinal damage due to diabetes, which may cause clots in the vascular endings, haemorrhaging, fluid leakage, retinal swelling, blood vessel proliferation, haemorrhaging into the vitreous humour and retinal detachment resulting in loss of acuity or blindness

Lens dislocation: the lens slipping from its place in the pupil; often it is shifted to the vitreous humour

Ophthalmoscopy: observing the back of the eye, i.e. the retina, with a special optical instrument

Fluorescent angiography: displaying the retinal vessels using a photographic technique, during which a special dye is injected into the veins on the forearm. It is used for examining macular degeneration, vascular clotting, anomalies and so on.

Optical coherence tomography: displaying the retina’s profile using light rays. It is most often used for detecting retinal swelling, macular degeneration, macular holes and other disorders of the vitreoretinal interface.

Age-dependent macular degeneration (formerly called senile macular degeneration): disorders of the macula, which occur at the age of 50 – 60. They involve the macula dying and, in the wet form, in its swelling. There may even be haemorrhaging under the retina with the retina having a fibrous scar, resulting in the loss of central vision and even blindness.

Triamcinolone: a steroid hormone, used in the form of an intraocular injection for treating macular swelling.

Macugen: the latest and most successful medicine, used in the form of an intraocular injection, for treating age-dependent macular degeneration.

Vitrectomy: removing the vitreous humour by an intraocular microsurgical operation. Used for treating disorders of the retina and vitreous humour.

Tamponade: internal and external. External tamponede=scleral buckling; sewing a strip of silicon onto the outside of the eye. Used for pressing the eye wall to the retina when treating a retinal detachment. Internal tamponade – using a gas or silicon oil for pressing the retina to the eye wall from inside.