Diabetic Retinopathy

Learn The Facts About Diabetic Retinopathy

Every year, 1.5 new cases of diabetes mellitus are diagnosed. A large percentage of those afflicted with diabetes will manifest symptoms of diabetic retinopathy. Simply stated, diabetic retinopathy is damage to the retina, the inner layer of the eye, due to the complications of elevated blood sugar levels. Symptoms of diabetic retinopathy include floating spots, blurred vision and vision loss and even retinal detachment. The symptoms are caused by hemorrhaging into the eye; the condition only rarely has any early warning signs.

Although a large percentage of diabetes sufferers develop diabetic retinopathy, an equally large percentage of cases could be prevented with proper treatment and monitoring. In fact, roughly half of American diabetics have regular eye exams, which can spot the development of retinopathy in its early stages. If you think you may be at risk for diabetic retinopathy but have not had an eye exam recently, take the Amsler Grid vision test for retinopathy to see if you should contact your opthamologist.

Treatments for Diabetic Retinopathy
Patients with diabetic retinopathy can receive treatments effective in reducing vision loss – patients have a 90 percent change to retain vision if treated before the retina is severely damaged.

Treatments for retinopathy include:

• Laser surgery: an opthamologist can use laser photocoagulation to shrink or destroy the abnormal blood vessels associated with diabetic retinopathy.
• Steroid treatment: Injections of triamcinolone into the vitreous cavity of the eye can reduce thickening of the retina and increase a patient's visual acuity. The effects of the injections last for up to three months, requiring repeated treatments.
• Vitrectomy: An alternative to laser surgery, vitrectomy removes the vitreous humor, which has become cloudy due to blood and lipid leakage, and replaces it with clear saline solution. Research indicates that the surgery is effective in patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.