CME (Cystoid Macular Edema)
Cystoid macular edema (CME) is an eye condition that affects part of your retina. It is when the macula becomes swollen and tiny blisters of fluid form that look like small cysts.
The macula gives you your central vision. It allows you to do things like read and recognize a face. CME causes the macula to swell, which affects your detailed vision.
What Are Symptoms of CME?
The most common symptom of CME is distorted central vision. This is when things in front of you look wavy or blurry. CME does not affect your peripheral (side) vision. You may find that objects look dark or dim. Sometimes, things can look pink (even though they are not really pink). You also may be sensitive to light.
You can have CME without any of these symptoms.
What Causes CME?
You are more likely to have CME if you have had:
How Is CME Diagnosed?
Your ophthalmologist will put drops in your eye to dilate (enlarge) the pupil. Then they will look at the back of your eye through a special lens. This allows your doctor to see if there are changes to the retina and macula.
Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is another way your ophthalmologist can look closely at the retina. A special type of machine scans the retina and provides very detailed images of the retina and macula.
Your doctor may do fluorescein angiography to see what is happening with your retina. Yellow dye (called fluorescein) is injected into a vein, usually in your arm. The dye travels through your blood vessels. A special camera takes photos of the retina as the dye travels throughout its blood vessels. This shows any changes to the retina or macula.
How Is CME Treated?
There are many ways to treat CME. They include:
Your ophthalmologist will talk about which treatment they recommend for you.
Your vision may start to improve within a few months after having your CME treated.