Understanding Diabetic Retinopathy – Can You Protect Your Vision

It is not easy to detect the early symptoms of Diabetic Retinopathy, which is currently a leading cause of blindness in people with diabetes. Still, a trained optometrist and qualified eye doctors can use specific tests to observe vision changes among patients. Let’s find out more about its cause(s), symptoms, and methods of diagnosis, and if it can be prevented with medical assistance.

What is Diabetic Retinopathy?

It is a condition when the blood vessels in the retina swell and leak fluids or undergo an abnormal growth of new blood vessels on the retinal layer. Such changes in the eye often lead to vision loss, and it usually occurs among patients diagnosed with diabetes.

Symptoms of Diabetic Retinopathy

• Eye Redness or Pain: Burning or red eyes, with pain or pressure in one or both eyes.

• Vision Problems: Blurred or patchy vision, difficulty seeing in the dark, sudden vision changes.

• Shadows or Flashes: Dull spots in vision or seeing flashes of lights without stimuli.

• Seeing Floaters: Noticing floating shapes or dark spots in your vision.

Stages of Diabetic Retinopathy

There are two stages of Diabetic Retinopathy, and both concern diabetes affecting the nerve tissue and blood vessels in the retina.

• Nonproliferative Diabetic Retinopathy: It is the earlier stage where blood vessels in the eye swell and leak, causing macular edema or retinal swelling in some cases. The patient may also suffer mild vision loss, but it can be treated to prevent further vision loss.

• Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy: It is the later stage when abnormal blood vessel growth can break and bleed blood into the vitreous layer of the eye. This stage causes significant vision loss and incredible discomfort, thus requiring urgent treatment.

Can Diabetic Retinopathy Cause Other Vision or Health Problems?

Visiting an eye care center near you is recommended when you are diagnosed with diabetes because it can also lead to other severe vision conditions.

• Diabetic Macular Edema (DME): Six people in a hundred diabetic patients are at risk of developing DME. The condition causes retinal fluid to leak into the macula, which leads to blurry vision.

• Neovascular Glaucoma: In this condition, the abnormal blood vessels growing out of the retina will block fluids from draining out of the eye, causing a type of glaucoma. It can be both painful and lead to blindness if it goes untreated early on.

• Retinal Detachment: The formation of scar tissue at the back of the eye due to Diabetic Retinopathy can afterwards pull at the retina. This condition is known as tractional retinal detachment and requires immediate medical attention.

Are You At Risk? – Known Causes of Diabetic Retinopathy

Diabetic Retinopathy commonly occurs in patients with too much blood sugar that are already diagnosed with diabetes. Additionally, it is worsened among patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes by following habits or conditions:

• High Blood Pressure

• High Cholesterol

• Smoking

• Lack of Exercise

• Pregnancy (Gestational Diabetes)

Note: Gestational diabetes may develop only during pregnancy, so it’s recommended to get a comprehensive dilated eye exam from a nearby optometrist.

How To Diagnose Diabetic Retinopathy – Visit An Eye Doctor

Get A Comprehensive Dilated Eye Exam

The most common method to detect Diabetic Retinopathy is through a dilated eye exam conducted by a qualified and experienced optometrist. It is a simple and painless procedure in which the patient receives eye drops (once per 2 – 4 months) that widen their pupils. This helps with checking the retina for symptoms of Diabetic Retinopathy and any other underlying eye conditions.

However, eye doctors or optometrists can also check for other vision problems by using the following different diagnosis methods:

• Visual Acuity Test: It measures the central vision of a person at various distances using a common eye chart.

• Tonometry: This test helps to detect any intraocular pressure inside or surrounding the eye.

• Ophthalmoscopy: An eye doctor performs this test by using a special magnifying glass to take a closer look at the retina of the person.

• Fluorescein Angiography: An optometrist will inject an organic dye into the bloodstream to then take pictures of highlighted blood vessels of the eye. This test helps to determine if the blood vessels are leaking or are not supplying blood to the retina.

• Optical Coherence Tomography: The patient is exposed to a controlled spectrum of lightwaves that assist with taking detailed images of the retina.

Treatment & Prevention of Diabetic Retinopathy

The best way to treat Diabetic Retinopathy will depend on the symptoms, age, overall health and severity of the condition. Since these conditions can differ from patient to patient, the following methods are used to treat the various stages of Diabetic Retinopathy:

• “Laser Eye Surgery: It is the most common yet effective method for treating proliferative Retinopathy and macular edema. The treatment will shrink the abnormal blood vessels or seal the leakage, assisting in clear vision.

• Vitrectomy: It will observe the removal of excessive vitreous substance leaked into the center of the eye, with the replacement of a neutral saline solution.

• Injections: Prescribed special medications will be injected into the eye periodically to slow the abnormal vessel growth and treat macular edema.

Preventing Diabetic Retinopathy & Other Vision Problems

There are only a handful of ways to prevent the onset of Diabetic Retinopathy, but they can be challenging.

A foremost way to prevent Diabetic Retinopathy or its progression is to manage your diabetes and the blood sugar level. Patients can accomplish this through regular physical activity, eating healthy, and following specific instructions regarding insulin use from a licensed medical professional.

Patients who are diagnosed with diabetes can opt for the AC1 test, which detects the average blood sugar level in the previous three months. Presenting the AC1 test results with the dilated eye exam results can help an optometrist near you detect early signs of Diabetic Retinopathy for on-time treatment.

Get Expert Diabetic Retinopathy Diagnosis & Treatment

Diabetic Retinopathy is a severe eye condition where patients are at risk of permanent vision loss, but it can be treated on time. Appearing for comprehensive eye exams regularly can help with detecting the slightest vision changes at the earliest. Please visit 360 Eye Care near you to get expert help for your vision health from experienced optometrists and eye doctors.