What Is Diabetes Retinopathy?

In prolonged cases of diabetes, even the blood vessels in the retina get damaged. This condition is known as diabetes retinopathy. It is a leading cause of adult-blindness in the United States.

Retina is the light-sensitive tissue positioned at the back of the eye. Any damage to it and the vision gets totally impaired. It also leads to blindness.

When a person gets inflicted by this disease, the blood vessels in the eyes swell and pop open and start secreting fluids. Later on abnormal new blood vessels develop over the retina as a normal body response for replacing the damaged ones. The process takes 4 stages to develop.

Cure Diabetes Type 1, 2 or Gestational With Natural Remedies That Really Work. Click Here To Read More.

Diabetic retinopathy affects both the eyes. At first, the tiny blood vessels in the retina get blocked by balloon-like swellings. In due course, as more and more of these get blocked, the retina starts sending signals to the body to grow new blood vessels. This stage is known as the non proliferative stage.

The new blood vessels start forming in the advanced stage known as proliferative retinopathy. They form over the clear vitreous gel, which fills the inner area of the eye. These vessels, when they leak blood, cause blindness.

Blindness can also occur in another way. Fluids can leak into the center of the macula. This makes the macula to swell, which blurs the image. This condition is called macular edema.

The patients of both Type 1 as well as Type 2 diabetes are susceptible to this disease. That is why every diabetic must go for a comprehensive dilated eye examination, at least once every year. About 40 to 45 percent of Americans suffer from this type of retinopathy at the time of the diagnosis of diabetes.

Diabetic retinopathy has no symptom. The eye doesn't even experience any sort of pain. Only in its advanced stages, the vision gets blurred, in the case of macular edema, which finally gets totally blocked. In case of proliferative retinopathy, you will see blood or dark spots floating in your vision.

That is why you must go for regular dilated eye examinations for early screening of the disease. Chances are you could be suffering from either of the two, or both simultaneously.

Visual acuity test, a dilated eye exam or a tonometry is used to detect these conditions. Proliferative retinopathy is treated only in its advanced stages by laser surgery. The new blood vessels are shrunk with the help of laser blasts from a very tiny source. The procedure is called a scatter laser treatment.

Macular edema is treated by the focal laser treatment. The fluids leaking into the macula are blocked using the laser, thereby, reducing the amount of fluid flow. A vitrectomy can also be performed. The procedure replaces the vitreous gel in the center of the eye with salt solution.

However, one thing that a person suffering from diabetes retinopathy must always remember. The disease cannot be cured totally. It can only be rectified to some extent. That is why regular tests are a must.

About Us Terms Of Service Privacy Policy Contact Us