What Is It?
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When your blood sugar gets too high in the blood, it can damage
the blood vessels in your eyes. This damage may lead to diabetic retinopathy. |
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| Types
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There are basically three types of Diabetic Retinopathy
that exists, namely:
- Background Retinopathy is an early form of
diabetic retinopathy. At this stage, the blood vessels in the retina had damaged
and can leak fluid or blood, causing retina to swell and form deposits called exudates.
One might not noticed any change in vision when in this stage but it could lead to more
serious form of retinopathy
- Proliferative Retinopathy is the stage where new, fragile blood vessels grow on the
surface of the retina. These new blood vessels are called neovascularization, and can
lead to serious vision problems, because the new vessels can break and bleed into the
vitreous. When the vitreous becomes clouded with blood, light is prevented from passing
through the eye to the retina. This can blur or distort vision.
- Macular edema is the stage when fluid collects in the macula (the part of the retina
that allows us to see fine details), reading and other close work may become difficult.
- Retinal Detachment is the stage whereby the new blood vessels can also cause scar
tissue to develop, which can pull the retina away from the back of the eye. This can
lead to blindness if untreated. Abnormal blood vessels can grow on iris, which can lead
to Glaucoma.
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| Diagnostics
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Diabetic retinopathies usually produce no symptoms. However,
one might notice gradual blurring of the vision if Proliferative and Background
retinopathy leads to macular edema. |
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| Treatment
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Treatment is not necessary in the case of diabetic retinopathy
as vision loss can be prevented or improved. Good control of blood sugar will delay
or even prevent the development and the progression of diabetic retinopathy.
If the ophthalmologist finds that you have diabetic retinopathy, you may need
to have special photos of your retina taken. This series of photos is called
fluorescein angiography.
During fluorescein angiography, a yellow dye is injected into your arm which
then passes through the blood vessels in your retina. This makes it easier to see
the blood vessels in the photos. Your ophthalmologist can then use the photos if
you need laser surgery for diabetic retinopathy.
Laser photocoagulation is one of the most common treatments involved. The
laser beam spots can also be scattered through the sides of the retina to reduce
abnormal blood vessel growth (neovascularization) and help seal the retina to the
back of the eye. This can help prevent retinal detachment. Little recuperation is needed.
If you have very advanced proliferate diabetic retinopathy or retinal detachment,
your ophthalmologist may recommend vitrectomy. In vitrectomy, the surgeon removes
the blood-filled vitreous and replaces it with a clear solution. This allows light
to pass through the clear fluid to the retina, where the images you see are conveyed
to the brain. |
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