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Diabetic retinopathy is a
potentially blinding complication of
diabetes that damages the eye's
retina. It affects half of all
Americans diagnosed with diabetes.
At first, you may notice no changes
in your vision. But don't let
diabetic retinopathy fool you. It
could get worse over the years and
threaten your good vision. With
timely treatment, 90 percent of
those with advanced diabetic
retinopathy can be saved from going
blind.
Diabetic retinopathy occurs when
diabetes damages the tiny blood
vessels in the retina. At this
point, most people do not notice any
changes in their vision.
Some people develop a condition
called macular edema. It
occurs when the damaged blood
vessels leak fluid and lipids onto
the macula, the part of the retina
that lets us see detail. The fluid
makes the macula swell, blurring
vision.
As the disease progresses, it enters
its advanced, or proliferative,
stage. Fragile, new blood vessels
grow along the retina and in the
clear, gel-like vitreous that fills
the inside of the eye. Without
timely treatment, these new blood
vessels can bleed, cloud vision, and
destroy the retina.
Symptoms
Diabetic retinopathy often has no
early warning signs. At some point,
though, you may have macular edema.
It blurs vision, making it hard to
do things like read and drive. In
some cases, your vision will get
better or worse during the day.
As new blood vessels form at the
back of the eye, they can bleed
(hemorrhage) and blur vision. The
first time this happens it may not
be very severe. In most cases, it
will leave just a few specks of
blood, or spots, floating in your
vision. They often go away after a
few hours.
These spots are often followed
within a few days or weeks by a much
greater leakage of blood. The blood
will blur your vision. In extreme
cases, a person will only be able to
tell light from dark in that eye. It
may take the blood anywhere from a
few days to months or even years to
clear from the inside of your eye.
In some cases, the blood will not
clear. You should be aware that
large hemorrhages tend to happen
more than once, often during sleep.
People At Risk
All people with diabetes are at
risk--those with Type I diabetes
(juvenile onset) and those with Type
II diabetes (adult onset).
During pregnancy, diabetic
retinopathy may also be a problem
for women with diabetes. It is
recommended that all pregnant women
with diabetes have dilated eye
examinations each trimester to
protect their vision.
If any symptoms of diabetic
retinopathy are
noticed, an ophthalmologist should
be contacted as soon as possible.
Call Eyes Over Texas Eye Care Center
at 281-398-0747 to schedule your
consultation today or use our
convenient
online
appointment/consultation request
form. |
