Diabetic retinopathy

Overview

Diabetic retinopathy is a diabetes complication that affects the eyes. It's caused by damage to the blood vessels of the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye (retina). At first, diabetic retinopathy may cause no symptoms or only mild vision problems. Eventually, it can cause blindness.

Causes

Diabetic retinopathy is primarily caused by diabetes, a condition where the body's ability to regulate sugar levels is impaired. Over time, too much sugar in your blood can lead to the blockage of the tiny blood vessels that nourish the retina, cutting off its blood supply. As a result, the eye attempts to grow new blood vessels. But these new blood vessels don't develop properly and can leak easily.

Symptoms

There are often no symptoms in the early stages of diabetic retinopathy. As the condition progresses, symptoms may include:

Spots or dark strings floating in your vision (floaters)
Blurred vision
Fluctuating vision
Impaired color vision
Dark or empty areas in your vision
Vision loss

Risk Factors

Several factors can influence the likelihood of developing diabetic retinopathy, including:

Duration of diabetes — the longer you have diabetes, the greater your risk of developing diabetic retinopathy
Poor control of your blood sugar level
High blood pressure
High cholesterol
Pregnancy
Tobacco use
Being African-American, Hispanic or Native American

Prevention

You can't always prevent diabetic retinopathy. However, regular eye exams, good control of your blood sugar and blood pressure, and early intervention for vision problems can help prevent severe vision loss.

Treatment

Treatment for diabetic retinopathy is often dependent on the stage of the disease. In the early stages, vigilant diabetes management is key. Later stages may require surgical intervention, such as:

Focal laser treatment: This can stop or slow the leakage of blood and fluid in the eye.
Scatter laser treatment: This can shrink the abnormal blood vessels.
Vitrectomy: This can remove the blood from the center of your eye.

Prognosis

With early detection and treatment, the prognosis for diabetic retinopathy is generally good. However, it's important to have regular check-ups and maintain good blood sugar control to prevent the progression of the disease.