Can diabetic retinopathy be corrected?
Diabetes is a chronic disease that affects millions of people worldwide. One of the most common complications of diabetes is diabetic retinopathy, a condition that affects the blood vessels in the retina of the eye. Diabetic retinopathy can cause vision loss and even blindness if left untreated. But can diabetic retinopathy be corrected?
People with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes are both at risk for developing diabetic retinopathy. One of the main contributing factors to developing diabetic retinopathy is uncontrolled blood sugar that leads to increased damage to the retinal blood vessels. You may be at higher risk for diabetic retinopathy is you have had diabetes for many years.
Can Diabetic Retinopathy Be Corrected?
Depending on the severity of the case when detected, steps can be taken to slow the progress. Complete reversal is not able to be achieved at this time. However, there are different treatments that can be done to prevent permeant vision loss. If you have only minor damage to your blood vessels, we will care for you with regular monitoring and managing of your diabetes through diet and exercise.
If your diabetic retinopathy is more advanced, a laser procedure at our center may be recommended. During your surgery one of our doctors will use photocoagulation to seal leaking blood vessels and prevent further tissue damage. Other cases may require an intraocular surgery called a vitrectomy. This procedure involves the removal of the vitreous, a gel-like fluid inside the eye. Saline liquid, or a gas or silicone oil bubble, will be used to replace this fluid and stabilize pressure in the eye.
There is currently no simple “quick fix” cure for diabetic retinopathy, but there are several ways to prevent a worsening of your symptoms and protect your vision. Let’s talk about some lifestyle changes you can do to slow the progressive of diabetic retinopathy.
Making healthy lifestyle choices to keep your blood sugar levels, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels low can help to slow down the progression. All those healthy choices in foods and exercise can really make a difference for your overall health and wellness. Eating a diet of real foods and cutting back on alcohol and caffeine is always a good choice to help your body out.
Smoking is also strongly suggested to quit doing. Exercise daily by moving the body doesn’t mean you have to go hard in the gym for hours. Long walks outside or swimming in a pool keeps the blood flowing and the body going. Did you know that by swinging your arms while walking you increase your calorie burning by 20%? Go ahead and get into a good walk to burn those calories and move the body!
What does diabetic eye damage look like?
Though vision may gradually become blurred, significant loss of sight does not usually occur with non-proliferative retinopathy. Since the patient does not experience pain or external symptoms such as bloodshot eyes or discharge, changes in the retina can go unnoticed unless detected by an eye exam. Therefore, visually the eye itself will typically not look any different. This will be the case for the first three stages of diabetic retinopathy.
Once the disease has progressed to the later stage of Proliferative Retinopathy, some visual signs may start to occur. When bleeding occurs in proliferative retinopathy, the patient has clouding or complete loss of sight. Connective tissue pulling on the retina causes distortion and blurring. However, if abnormalities occur in the peripheral retina, the patient may not experience any symptoms.
Please let us know if you are having any of the following symptoms:
Vision fluctuations
Blurred vision
Poor to little ability to see at night
Seeing spots or floaters
Clouding or complete loss of sight
Distortion of vision
Any of these symptoms should raise an alarm for you to schedule an exam to have your eyes checked out- even if it is not time for your yearly exam just yet. If you have diabetes, we recommend getting a dilated eye exam at least once a year to look for signs of diabetic retinopathy or other vision problems, even if you aren’t currently experiencing any symptoms. If you are diabetic and are considering getting pregnant, please make an appointment with us to establish a baseline for your care.
What happens within the eye?
In diabetic retinopathy the blood vessels of the retina become abnormal and develop tiny leaks, causing fluid or blood to seep into the retina, especially the macula. When fluid accumulates in the macula, it becomes wet and swollen and cannot work properly. This is called macular edema, which causes the central vision to become blurry.
The form of diabetic retinopathy caused by leakage of retinal blood vessels is called nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR). Another problem with retinal blood vessels in diabetes is that they can become blocked. If the retinal tissue no longer receives nutrition from the retinal blood vessels, it will stop working properly.
The areas of the retina with obstructed blood vessels will foster the growth of abnormal new blood vessels, a process called neovascularization. Neovascularization can cause bleeding and scar tissue that may result in severe loss of vision, or even blindness. The form of diabetic retinopathy in which neovascularization develops is called proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR). Both forms of the eye condition can occur together in an eye.
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms or have been diagnosed with diabetes and wan to t check on your eyes right away, feel free to contact one of our Central Florida Perich Eye Centers which you can find a list below. We look forward to helping you along your journey.
