Retina Specialists in Knoxville & East Tennessee
The ophthalmologists at Tennessee Eye Care provide expert retinal care across East Tennessee, helping you take control of retinal conditions and protect your long-term vision.
Comprehensive Retinal Care
The retina is a thin layer of tissue lining the back of your eye that contains millions of light-sensitive cells. It captures light and converts it into neural signals that the brain interprets as vision. Because of its critical role in sight, conditions affecting the retina require specialized care and attention.
At Tennessee Eye Care, our ophthalmologists are experienced in diagnosing and treating a wide range of retinal conditions using advanced diagnostic technology and treatment methods. We serve patients from Knoxville, Lenoir City, Harriman, Powell, Morristown and the surrounding communities.
Why Regular Eye Exams Matter for Retinal Health
Retinal disease is often painless and symptom-free in its early stages, which is what makes it dangerous. A comprehensive dilated eye exam lets us see changes in the retina long before you would notice them yourself, and early intervention is frequently the difference between managing a condition and losing vision to it.
Patients with diabetes should be examined at least annually — see our diabetic eye care page for what that involves.
Retinal Conditions We Treat
Our retinal care services address many conditions, including:
- Diabetic retinopathy: Damage to retinal blood vessels caused by diabetes.
- Macular degeneration: Deterioration of the central portion of the retina.
- Retinal detachment: A medical emergency where the retina pulls away from its normal position.
- Macular holes and puckers: Conditions affecting the central vision area.
- Retinal vein occlusion: Blockage of blood vessels in the retina.
- Floaters and flashes: Often harmless but sometimes indicating retinal problems.
Advanced Diagnostic Technology
We use state-of-the-art equipment to examine your retina in detail:
- Optical coherence tomography (OCT) for detailed retinal imaging
- Fluorescein angiography to examine retinal blood flow
- Fundus photography for documentation and monitoring
- Comprehensive dilated eye examinations
Treatment Options
Depending on your condition, treatment may include:
- Laser therapy for diabetic retinopathy and retinal tears
- Intravitreal injections for macular conditions
- Surgical intervention for retinal detachment
- Ongoing monitoring and management
When to Call Us Right Away
Some retinal symptoms are genuine emergencies. Contact us immediately — or go to an emergency room if we are closed — if you experience a sudden increase in floaters, flashes of light, a curtain or shadow moving across your field of vision, or an abrupt loss of vision in one eye. Retinal detachment is treatable, but the window matters.
For anything less urgent, early detection still does the heavy lifting. If your vision has changed in a way you can't explain, book an exam rather than waiting to see whether it resolves.
Retinal Care Close to Home
Retinal conditions often mean ongoing treatment rather than a single visit — injections, imaging and monitoring on a schedule. That is far easier to keep up with when your specialist is twenty minutes away instead of in another city.
We live and practice here in East Tennessee, and our retina services run out of every one of our clinics, so you can be seen and followed close to home.
Available at all five Tennessee Eye Care clinics:
Not sure which is closest? Compare all our locations.