What Is Diabetic Retinopathy And What Should You Know About It?

Diabetic retinopathy refers to a diabetes complication associated with the eyes. Usually, diabetic retinopathy results from damage to blood vessels attached to the light-sensitive tissue in the retina. During the early stages, you may not develop any symptoms. Some patients developed mild vision problems. If left untreated, diabetic retinopathy can lead to vision loss. It affects people suffering from type 1 or type 2 diabetes.

In most cases, diabetic retinopathy develops in diabetes patients with less controlled blood sugar. It is, therefore, vital that you visit a Bronx diabetic retinopathy specialist frequently for screening so you can catch and treat the problem before it gets out of hand. The schedule to prevent complications that can result in vision loss.

Symptoms

Most people with diabetic retinopathy rarely develop symptoms during the early stages. As the condition progresses, you may experience blurred vision or fluctuating vision. Other symptoms include dark strings or spots floating in your vision, empty or dark areas in your vision, and blindness.

The only effective way to prevent vision loss due to diabetic retinopathy is by carefully managing your diabetes. If you have diabetes, you need to visit an optometrist regularly to get an eye exam, even if you have no problems with your vision. You are at a higher risk of developing diabetic retinopathy if you develop gestational diabetes or have diabetes before becoming pregnant. If you are expectant, you may need eye exams throughout your pregnancy.

If you notice any sudden changes in your vision, it becomes hazy, spotty, or blurred, make sure you contact your optometrist immediately.

Causes

As time passes, excess blood sugar can block the tiny blood vessels that carry blood to the retina leading to an insufficient blood supply. In response, the eye tries to develop the blood vessels. However, most of these blood vessels do not grow as needed resulting in leakages.

This can result in early diabetic retinopathy, also known as non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy. In this form, your blood vessels do not grow, causing the walls of existing blood vessels to weaken. Consequently, small bulges protrude from the walls of the blood vessels leaking blood and fluid into the retina. It can also cause the larger blood vessels to dilate.

If untreated, diabetic retinopathy can turn to advanced diabetic retinopathy, which is more severe. It is also known as proliferative diabetic retinopathy. It causes the damaged blood vessels to block, resulting in new blood vessels with abnormalities. They can easily leak fluids and blood into the vitreous part of the eye. Eventually, advanced diabetic retinopathy causes the retina to detach from the back of the eye.

Treatment

If you have early diabetic retinopathy, you may not need immediate treatment, but your doctor will have to monitor your eyes to determine when treatment is necessary. If you have advanced diabetic retinopathy, treatment may include photocoagulation, panretinal photocoagulation, and vitrectomy. In some cases, your doctor may directly inject medications into the eye.

To summarize, diabetic retinopathy is a diabetes complication that affects the eyes. Symptoms range from blurred vision to empty or dark areas in your vision and vision loss. Diabetic retinopathy results from the growth of new blood vessels in the eye due to blockages in the blood vessels that nourish the retina. Treatment involves photocoagulation, panretinal photocoagulation, vitrectomy, and injection of medication into the eye.