Evidently, people living with diabetes may have to deal with several health complications ranging from mild to severe. These complications can either be long-term or short-term, and can impact on the patient's overall health. Basically, different parts of the patient's body can be affected including the eyes, heart, kidneys and nerves. However, according to a recent study by the National Eye Institute, diabetic retinopathy has become one of the most common diabetic eye diseases that people with diabetes may face as a complication of diabetes.
What Is Diabetic Retinopathy?
Diabetic retinopathy can be described as a diabetic complication or rather a systematic disease that affects the eyes, and …show more content…
In some cases, growth of abnormal blood vessels on the retina's surface can trigger this condition. It is quite difficult for you to notice that you have this diabetic complication because it may take a somewhat longer period of time before you detect changes to your vision.
Symptoms
Diabetic retinopathy doesn't cause noticeable symptoms, as mentioned above, until considerable damage has occurred and complications have developed. This mainly occurs during the first stage, often known as non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR). Nonetheless, vision blurring is one of the most common symptoms, particularly for a person with macular edema that makes it hard for the patient to do things like driving and reading.
Other symptoms include shapes floating in your field of vision (floaters), reduced night vision, difficulty with color perception and even worse, sudden vision loss. It is highly recommended that you should contact your doctor or diabetes care team immediately if you experience any of these symptoms.
Who's at Risk of Diabetic …show more content…
This clearly explains why health experts recommend that everyone should get a complete dilated eye exam at least once a year, instead of waiting for the symptoms to become noticeable. A diabetic expectant mother can experience a lot of problems, but some studies have suggested that with proper treatment such problems can be reversed after childbirth.
Treatment
Essentially, your choice of treatment depends on the type and severity of your symptoms, as well as how you have responded to previous treatments. For instance, early stages, often known as non-proliferative retinopathy might not require immediate treatment, but good blood sugar control can help slow down its progression. In the case of proliferative diabetic retinopathy, the following treatment options may be used depending on the specific problems with your retina.
1. Focal Laser Treatment (Photocoagulation)
This is one of the best treatments used in most occasions to slow or even stop leakage of blood and other fluid in the eye. Basically, laser burns are used during the procedure to treat leaks from abnormal blood vessels. Focal laser treatment is a normally done in a single session, and it can result in blurring of your vision within the first 24