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Understanding Diabetic Retinopathy
A patient
with diabetes mellitus cannot use or store sugar (glucose)
properly. High blood sugar levels can lead to symptoms of
excessive thirst, excessive urination, and increased appetite.
Diabetes causes damage in the body's small blood vessels.
Although all tissues of the body may be effected by diabetes,
the organs most commonly involved include the pancreas, the
heart, the kidneys, the brain, and the eyes. It can effect
vision by leading to premature cataracts, several types of
glaucoma and damaged blood vessels inside the eye.
What is Diabetic Retinopathy?
The most
common and important area of the eye where blood vessels become
damaged is the retina. The retina is a thin, nerve tissue which
acts much like film in a camera. The eyeball is a multi-layered
organ. The retina is the living tissue which coats the inside of
the eye, much like wallpaper. It sends images of light to the
brain by way of the optic nerve. Damage to the blood vessels of
the retina is known as diabetic retinopathy. Diabetic
retinopathy is the leading cause of new blindness among adults
in the United States between the ages of 20 and 65.
 When
the blood vessels in the retina are damaged, they may leak fluid
or blood. This may lead to edema (swelling) of the retina. When
the very center of the retina is involved, this will lead to
decreased vision and is known as "macular edema". There can also
be areas of the retina where the blood vessels get blocked and
result in poor oxygen supply to the retinal tissue (retinal
ischemia). This may lead to localized areas of tissue death and
poor vision.
When diabetic
retinopathy progresses further, new blood vessels may form.
These new blood vessels create many problems. They bleed easily,
within the retina itself or often into the vitreous cavity
(center of the eye); they may scar and wrinkle the retina and
can lead to retinal detachments.
The risk of
developing diabetic retinopathy increases with the number of
yours that a patient has had diabetes and with how well their
blood glucose levels are controlled. Fifty percent of all the
people in the United States who have diabetes are not yet
diagnosed. It is thus easy to see that many patients actually
have had diabetes several years by the time it is actually
diagnosed.
Symptoms of
Diabetic Retinopathy Unfortunately, very often diabetic
retinopathy will have no symptoms. Most patients feel that if
their diabetic retinopathy progresses, that they will experience
pain, a red eye, blurry vision, etc. The majority of the time
however, if a patient waits until she or he has symptoms, the
diabetic retinopathy has often progressed significantly. IN
OTHER WORDS, THERE MAY OFTEN BE VERY SIGNIFICANT DIABETIC
RETINOPATHY WITHOUT ANY SYMPTOMS. It is therefore extremely
important to have REGULAR AND CONTINUED followup exams. A
DILATED eye exam (where the pupil is temporarily enlarged, with
eye drops, so that a much better view of the retina can be
achieved) should be performed by an OPHTHALMOLOGIST. This should
be performed when diabetes is first diagnosed and thereafter
based on the judgment of the examining physician and the level
of diabetic changes seen. Dramatic Improvements Visual loss from
diabetic retinopathy only a generation ago was not treatable.
People often lost vision.
Dramatic
strides in treatment have been made in the past 25 years and
today if a patient follows up carefully with their
ophthalmologist, visual loss may be dramatically delayed,
reduced, or prevented altogether.
Co-Founder
/ Publisher
Living
with diabetes
Marcel
Forestieri
Co-Founder
/ Editor
Office:
702-966-9202 |
