Diabetic Retinopathy: All the Things One Must Know About It!

Diabetic retinopathy is a condition which occurs due to diabetes complication. It affects the vision adversely. Increase in the amount of glucose leads to the damage of blood vessels present in the back of the eyes. Henceforth, the damage leads to the improper passage of nutrients to the retina. Early symptoms of diabetic retinopathy are blur vision, however, eventually, it leads to complete blindness. The condition is not specific to the type of diabetes. It can be developed in any person, be it suffering from type 1 or type 2 diabetes. This eye complication occurs when someone is suffering from diabetes from long time.

Symptoms

You might not have symptoms in the early stages of diabetic retinopathy. As the condition progresses, diabetic retinopathy symptoms may include:

• Spots or dark strings floating in the vision (floaters)
• Blurry vision
• Complete vision loss
• Effect on noticing colors
• Dark or empty zones in the vision
• Fluctuating vision

Diabetic Retinopathy Causes

Over a longer period of a diabetic condition, sugar in the blood increases and blocks the little blood vessels. These vessels are responsible for the nourishment of the retina. However, due to the blockage, the blood supply stops and eventually, eye strives towards building new vessels. However, these new blood vessels don't build properly and are prone to leakage.

Two types of diabetic retinopathy:

Early diabetic retinopathy

In the condition, nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR), new blood vessels don't grow, known as proliferating. In the condition of NPDR, the blood vessels' walls present in the retina weaken. Little bulges, known as microaneurysms, protrude from the walls of the vessel of the smaller vessels. This leads to leakage of fluids and blood in the retina. On the other hand, larger vessels start dilating and eventually, becomes irregular in diameter. The very condition can be mild or severe, depending upon the blockage of the vessels.  

Advanced diabetic retinopathy

Once the condition progresses to higher risk, the condition of proliferative diabetic retinopathy occurs. In this type, damaged blood vessels close. This leads to the growth of new, blood vessels in the retina, which are abnormal in nature. Eventually, they leak into the vitreous. Vitreous is a clear, jelly-like substance, which fills the eye's center. In due course, the retina may detach from the eye due to the stimulation of the scar tissue due to the growth of new blood vessels. Glaucoma is another condition that may occur. In this condition, the images from the eye do not go through to the brain due to the damage in the image-carrying nerve. This damage occurs due to the formation of new blood vessels, which may interfere with the fluid flow in the eye, building pressure in the eyeball.

Diabetic Retinopathy Treatment

Diabetic retinopathy treatment depends on the type of diabetic retinopathy and what is the condition of the same. However, the treatment of the condition talks more about the slowing or stopping the progression rate of the very condition.

Early diabetic retinopathy

If one has mild nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy, there is no requirement of treatment right away. However, the eye doctor must closely notice all the symptoms and judge if the treatment or some measures are required. Along with that, one must consult the endocrinologist to find ways to manage diabetes.  In mild conditions, it is easy to control blood sugar to slow the progression. Advanced diabetic retinopathy If one has proliferative diabetic retinopathy or macular edema, the need for immediate surgical treatment is important. There can be few options one can go for, depending on the problems of the retina.

Focal laser treatment

This laser treatment is also known as photocoagulation. This can help in stopping or slowing the blood or fluid leakage in the eye. In this procedure, leakage from irregular or abnormal blood vessels is treated with the help of laser burns. This very treatment is generally done in the doctor's clinic or any other eye clinic in a single sitting. However, if someone has a blurry vision due to macular edema before the procedure, this treatment may not help one to bring the vision back to normal. But, it helps in reducing the risk of macular edema to get worse.

Scatter laser treatment

This laser treatment is known as panretinal photocoagulation. It helps in shrinking the irregular or abnormal blood vessels. During this procedure, the doctor treats the parts of the retina which are far from the macula with the help of scattered laser burns. These burns help the abnormal or irregular new blood vessels to shrink and scar. his very treatment is generally done in the doctor's clinic or any other eye clinic in two or more sittings. One's vision will be blurry for around a day after the treatment. Along with that, some loss of peripheral vision and night vision is there after the procedure.

Vitrectomy

In this procedure, a little incision is done in the eye to exclude the blood from the vitreous, middle of the eye, and scar tissue that is tugging on the eye retina. It is done by a surgeon in a surgery center or in a hospital with the help of local or general anesthesia.