Secure vision from Diabetic Retinopathy- The Eye Foundation

What happens when you get diabetic retinopathy?

According to the survey, children and teenagers are rarely get affected to it but becomes common with the people with age of 40 to 60+ that nearly 9% of people in adulthood are getting affected with diabetic retinopathy. The study has revealed the diabetic retinopathy becomes leading cause of vision loss globally.

Symptoms of diabetic retinopathy

The patient won’t experience anything until it becomes a serious problem with your vision. In some cases, there will be mild symptoms which should be diagnosed soon to prevent the problem getting serious, if it is diagnosed earlier with symptoms better treatment could be provided by the diabetic retinopathy ophthalmologist to safeguard your vision. Some of the symptoms of diabetic retinopathy include,

1. The problem with a central vision that is cannot read or drive
2. Black spots inside your eyes
3. Small bloody spots due to blood leakage
4. Blurry vision
5. Losing the capability of seeing colors

What causes diabetic retinopathy?

When you are a diabetic patient it is essential to keep the sugar level in control but when it exceeds the glucose blocks the blood vessels that supply blood to the retina. In that case, to solve the issue your eye will try to build up a new blood vessel but it couldn’t. This leads to the weakening of blood vessels and as a result, there will be leakage of blood or fluids inside your eye. This connects with another condition called macular edema of the eye which causes blurry vision. Generally, 1 in 3 people with diabetes mellitus are getting diabetic retinopathy and about 10% of global expenditure is spent over the diabetic mellitus.

As slowly the condition gets worse more blood vessels will be get blocked along with this scar tissue will also be present due to the build-up of new blood vessels to resolve the issue. All together increase the pressure on the retina leading to tearing or detachment of the retina. This condition further leads to glaucoma or cataract that results in blindness. By treating it on time with the assistance of best-in-class ophthalmic treatment from a top eye care provider you can save your vision from losing.

Stages of diabetic retinopathy

There are different stages in the diabetic nobody which are listed below,

Mild non-proliferative retinopathy

This is the earliest stage of retinopathy in which the small blood vessel will get some changes and slightly swell which leads to mild leakage of fluid into the eyes or inside your retina it is said to be microaneurysms.

Moderate non-proliferative retinopathy

From mild, the retinopathy starts getting worse the important blood vessels which supply enough blood to the ready now will start getting swell and change in shape. Due to this retina cannot function normally and that leads to a condition called macular edema the swelled area of the retina is called macular.

Severe non-proliferative retinopathy

This is the adverse stage of retinopathy here most of the blood vessels to the retina will get blocked so it won’t deliver enough blood. At this condition, your eye will produce certain growth proteins to develop a new blood vessel to compensate for the blood requirement of your retina.

Proliferative diabetic retinopathy

This is the final and advanced stage of diabetic retinopathy, in this stage the new blood vessels will be get formed inside the retina and also inside the jelly layer of your eye called the vitreous humor. But the blood vessels which formed are fragile so there is a higher chance of blood or fluid leakage inside the retina which leads to detachment of the retina from the underneath tissue. This causes permanent blindness in a person.

How diabetic retinopathy will be diagnosed?

The diabetic retinopathy specialist will conduct some eye tests to diagnose whether you are having it or not and those tests include the following,

Pupil dilation

Windows diagnostic test the ophthalmologist will dilute your pupil to check whether there is a change in blood vessels or growth of new blood vessels. Along with this they also notice there is a retinal detachment or swell in the retina.

Fluorescein angiogram

This is the diagnostic test that is used to diagnose there is a serious issue of your eye diabetic retinopathy. An ophthalmologist will inject a fluorescein dye into a vein of your arm once it reaches your eye they could visualize the blood vessels of the retina which helps them in detect the serious problem of your eye.

Treatment

The treatment of diabetic retinopathy includes,

Anti-VEGF injection therapy

The Anti-VEGF is a drug that helps the abnormal blood vessels to grow completely by reversing the blood vessel growth and also reducing the fluid build-up inside the retina. This treatment blocks the vascular endothelial growth factor that stops the growth of blood vessels.

Focal macular laser therapy 

This treatment involves the burn on tiny leakage areas of blood vessels with the help of a laser by which the blood leakage inside the retina will be prevented. After the laser surgery, you may require Anti-VEGF therapy.

Corticosteroids

An ophthalmologist will inject steroids into your eye but by taking this the chance of getting cataracts and glaucoma is increased so they are used to check the pressure of your eye.

Scatter laser surgery

In scatter laser surgery, almost 2000 tiny burns will be carried with a laser to treat where the spot your retina is get detached. With the help of this surgery, you can save your vision but still, your color identification, night vision, and side vision will be get reduced. You may require two or more sessions to get this surgery done. The treatment will be effective if you have got the surgery before new blood vessels start to bleed.

Vitrectomy

The vitrectomy could help you in removing the blood leaked in the retina and vitreous humor through which the blurry vision could be treated. 

Any of the above treatments will be get suggested by your diabetic retinopathy opthalmologist will be after a serious study on your case but still when you have some questions about the procedures you can clear them on your previous consultation before surgery. Go with the eye care provider who comes with world-class treatment and provides personalized care which allows you to get a safe diabetic retinopathy treatment. 

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