Mayo Clinic Talks Retinal Disorders
Mar 31, 2026
Brittni A. Scruggs, an ophthalmologist and retinal surgeon who treats adults and children and works on gene therapy, joins to discuss retinal disorders. She covers common conditions to watch for in primary care. She highlights retinal vascular occlusions, detachment risks, diabetic retinopathy screening, age-related macular degeneration, medications that affect the retina, and emerging gene and dry AMD therapies.
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Annual Diabetic Eye Screening Saves Vision
- Screen patients with diabetes annually regardless of vision because diabetic retinopathy is often asymptomatic until advanced.
- Brittni A. Scruggs notes many patients present 20/20 yet have severe disease that screening could have prevented.
Act Quickly On Flashes And New Floaters
- Urgently evaluate unilateral flashes or new floaters to rule out retinal tears that can be lasered in clinic and prevent detachments.
- Scruggs says a 10-minute clinic laser for a tear can avert complex retinal detachment surgery.
Parental Concerns Preceded Curable Retinal Diagnoses
- Parents often report early signs like a baby not looking during feeding, and those concerns should be acted on rather than dismissed.
- Scruggs recounts cases where early parental worries preceded diagnoses of inherited retinal dystrophies treatable by gene therapy.