Diabetic Retinopathy
Diabetic retinopathy is an eye condition that can cause vision loss and blindness in people diagnosed with diabetes. If you do have diabetes or have a family history of diabetes, it is important to get a comprehensive dilated eye exam once a year, since the early stages of disease typically do not present with any symptoms.
Who is at Risk?
Anyone with diabetes is at risk of developing diabetic retinopathy. This risk increases the longer you have been diagnosed with diabetes. Women with diabetes who become pregnant, or women who develop diabetes during pregnancy, are at particularly high risk of developing diabetic retinopathy.
What causes DR?
Small blood vessels inside the eye can be damaged by poor blood sugar control. Damaged vessels can leak into the retina, resulting in damage to surrounding tissues. Left untreated, these changes can cause long-term, irreversible damage to the vascular structures inside the eye.
What are the symptoms of DR?
Early stages of diabetic retinopathy typically do not cause major symptoms. The most effective way to detect early diabetic changes in the retina is by having an ophthalmologist directly examine the back of your eye for signs, such as bleeding.
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In more severe disease, symptoms include blurred vision or distortion of images in both eyes. Advanced disease involves the abnormal growth of new blood vessels in the retina. These newly formed vessels are fragile and can burst or bleed, damaging the eye.
Are there any treatments for this?
Apart from treating the diabetes itself, there are three major treatments available that are effective in reducing vision loss from diabetic retinopathy: laser treatment, injection of corticosteroids or anti-VEGF drugs into the eye (intravitreal), or surgery. Your ophthalmologist can provide further details on which treatment would be most suitable for you, in the event there are signs of diabetic retinopathy.