What is Diabetic Retinopathy?
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Diabetic Retinopathy is a serious eye condition that may lead to vision loss. It is caused by microscopic damage to the retinal blood vessels, causing them to become leaky. 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 macular is part of the retina towards the back, think of it as inside the eye and to the back.
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. Early detection is a person’s best chance of saving their eyesight with laser surgery. Once the macula has been damaged, laser surgery is generally not helpful. For this reason, people with diabetes should test the vision of each eye, every day.
What does diabetic retinopathy look like?
Some of the symptoms of diabetic retinopathy are blurred vision, spots in your vision, and strings that are dark floating in your vision. Patients do not experience pain or external symptoms such as bloodshot eyes or discharge. Due to this, changes in the visual part of the eye will not be seen and thus the condition can go unnoticed until there is an eye exam preformed by a doctor. Additionally, you may find it difficult to see at night causing your driving ability to feel safer during the day.Can you reverse diabetic retinopathy?
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.How can I slow down 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.
Always make sure you are visiting your eye doctor at least once a year for your annual checkup and be sure to let them know of any problems that have come up or if you have been diagnosed with diabetes. We would love to help you here at Perich Eye Centers with our trusted and very experienced team. Contact us today to schedule your next appointment!
