Introduction

     I began this website to offer a simple no-nonsense guide to the common retinal diseases prevalent in our country.  While it may not have all the information you may require it does give you a starting point.  I have seen many patients go blind in my career and a majority of those patients simply did not know what could happen to their sight if proper care wasn't received quickly.  I want to try and help as many people as I can to avoid that scenario.
     I was born and raised in Southern California.  I finished a combined Bachelors/MD program with Lehigh University and The Medical College of Pennsylvania at the age of 23.  After finishing medical school I did internship at St. Mary Medical Center in Long Beach, California.  I then headed east again for residency in Ophthalmology at Greater Baltimore Medical Center/Johns Hopkins University.  I finished up my training by doing a retina fellowship at The University of California Irvine.  I practiced thereafter near my home town for 4 years before moving to Dallas in 2006.  I joined Dr. Robert Torti and we have since added Dr. Henry Choi.
                                                                                             -Santosh C. Patel MD

WHAT IS THE RETINA?

The retina is a very thin layer of nerve tissue that lines the back of the eye.  It is fragile as wet tissue paper yet is one of the most important components of your vision.  It is analogous to the film in old cameras. No matter how expensive the camera, the lenses or the accessories...if the film is bad so is the picture.  In addition retinal conditions are painless so patients tend to wait before seeking treatment hoping it will "go away".

Many of the eye conditions that cause permanent blindness are related to the retina.
Diabetic Retinopathy
Macular Degeneration
Retinal Detachments
Retinal Vein/Artery Occlusions
And many more...