General Information About Diabetic Retinopathy
Disease Details and Frequently Asked Questions
It is the destruction of the micro-vascular network in the retina, the nerve layer of the eye that works like camera film, caused by persistently high blood sugar, resulting in the vessels rupturing and leaking blood or fluid.
1. Non-Proliferative (Early Stage): The vessel walls weaken, and tiny ballooning (microaneurysms), small hemorrhages, and fluid leaks begin in the retina.
2. Proliferative (Advanced and Dangerous Stage): The retina is deprived of oxygen due to blocked vessels. To find oxygen, the eye creates 'abnormal and highly fragile new blood vessels'. These new vessels burst with the slightest elevation in blood pressure, completely filling the inside of the eye (vitreous) with blood and causing sudden blindness.
Serum (fluid) leaking from damaged vessels accumulates in the Macula (yellow spot), our visual center, causing it to swell like a sponge. It is the most common cause of vision loss in diabetics; the patient cannot read text or recognize faces.
It causes no pain or vision loss in the early stages! When leaks reach the center or bleeding occurs; blurred vision, giant floating black spots/spider webs in front of the eyes, pale perception of colors, and dark areas (visual field loss) suddenly appear.
A fundus examination is performed by dilating the pupil with drops. OCT (Optical Coherence Tomography) is taken to measure edema. To pinpoint exactly which vessels are blocked, where fluid is leaking from, and precisely where to apply the laser, a fluorescent dye is injected through the arm, and an FFA (Fundus Fluorescein Angiography) is performed.
The most critical treatment is to keep blood sugar and blood pressure under strict control. We have two main weapons to stop eye damage:
1. Intraocular Injections (Anti-VEGF / Cortisone): Medication is injected painlessly into the eye in an outpatient setting to dry up macular edema and shrink bleeding new vessels (can be repeated monthly).
2. Argon Laser Photocoagulation: The oxygen-deprived peripheral parts of the retina are burned (ablated) with a laser, ensuring that the center (macula) is nourished and bleeding stops. If the inside of the eye is completely filled with blood (Vitreous hemorrhage), the inside of the eye is cleared with a Vitrectomy surgery.
Our health library contents are prepared for informational purposes only and with scientific data available at the time of recording. For all your questions, concerns, diagnosis, or treatment regarding your health, please consult your doctor or a healthcare institution.
