Diabetic Retinopathy

A degenerative eye disease that occurs in people with diabetes, diabetic retinopathy can lead to severe vision loss or blindness if left untreated. Unfortunately, diabetic retinopathy remains incurable. However, it is treatable and preventable. In order to detect and prevent diabetic retinopathy, it is important that diabetes patients understand the causes of the disease, as well as any additional risks to the health of their eyes.

What Is Diabetic Retinopathy?

For people with diabetes, high blood sugar is a serious health problem. Because diabetics are unable to adequately absorb and process sugar, too much blood sugar can lead to kidney, heart, nerve, and eye damage.

Diabetic retinopathy occurs when the tiny blood vessels, known as capillaries, within the retina are damaged. In patients with non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR), the walls of the capillaries weaken and develop microaneurysms, or tiny bulges protruding from the blood vessels. Eventually these microaneurysms begin to leak blood and fluid into the retina, causing vision loss.

In patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR), not only are there progressively more microaneurysms, but new, abnormal capillaries begin to develop within the retina. As these blood vessels spread throughout the retina, they often begin to grow into the jelly-like substance (vitreous) that fills the center of the eye. Ultimately, this abnormal growth causes the capillaries to shut down, leading to vision loss and, in some cases, retinal detachment.

Diabetic Retinopathy Risk Factors

Patients with type I and type II diabetes are at a high risk of developing diabetic retinopathy. How much the disease progresses and spreads is in almost direct correlation to how long the patient has had diabetes and how long they have gone without consistent eye examinations.

Diabetes is currently the number one cause of new cases of blindness in the United States; serious complications from diabetic retinopathy affect approximately 24,000 new people each year. However, studies also show that given adequate preventative measures and the right diabetic retinopathy treatment plan, severe vision loss can be reduced by as much as 94 percent. So while all diabetes patients are at risk of developing diabetic retinopathy, not all of them are destined for blindness. Undergoing yearly eye exams and tests for diabetic retinopathy diagnosis are crucial steps to preventing total vision loss.

In addition to diabetes, there are several other risk factors that can contribute to developing diabetic retinopathy:

Poorly controlled blood sugar levels, which catalyze the formation of microaneurysms in the retinal capillaries

• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Pregnancy
• Hispanic patients with diabetes
• African-American patients with diabetes

Symptoms and Diagnosis

One of the most frightening aspects of diabetic retinopathy is that most patients do not experience any symptoms or pain until the disease has begun to proliferate. This is why consistent preventative care and early diagnosis is so important. A trained medical professional must perform a series of tests and a comprehensive eye examination to determine if you have diabetic retinopathy. Learn more about diabetic retinopathy symptoms and diagnosis.

Progression and Types

There are two forms of diabetic retinopathy: non-proliferative (NPDR) and proliferative (PDR). Non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy refers to the early stages of the disease, while proliferative diabetic retinopathy refers to the severe, progressive stage. As diabetic retinopathy progresses, the number of damaged blood vessels and amount of abnormal vessel growth increases. Having accurate information about diabetic retinopathy progression can help patients better understand the disease. Find more information on the progression and types of diabetic retinopathy.

Treatment and Recovery

In the earliest stages of diabetic retinopathy, serious treatment is not always required, as the disease can often be managed through noninvasive, lifestyle-oriented methods. However, if the disease becomes proliferative, more aggressive treatment aimed at preventing further vision loss and improving impaired vision is necessary. There are two types of diabetic retinopathy treatment available for patients, vitrectomy surgery and laser photocoagulation surgery.

The length and extent of recovery after a procedure to treat diabetic retinopathy depends upon the type of treatment the patient received. Recovery also depends upon the severity of the disease, as more aggressive measures are necessary to combat the most advanced stages from worsening.

Contact a Doctor

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