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Patients with diabetes often face sight loss or vision issues due to diabetic retinopathy. Estimates suggest that 21 million in India with diabetes have vision impairment, and 2.4 million are blind. This prevalent condition in diabetics arises from long-standing diabetes affecting the retina. Symptoms like blurry vision, color perception difficulties, or specks in vision can signal this problem. Left untreated, it may lead to significant vision impairment.
Synopsis
Understanding Diabetic Retinopathy
Diabetes can lead to diabetic retinopathy, a condition that impacts vision by damaging the blood vessels in the retina, which are essential for vision. Vision symptoms may not be obvious at first, or you may only notice slight vision problems. However, if the condition worsens, it could eventually lead to blindness.
Anyone with type 1, type 2, or gestational diabetes can develop diabetic retinopathy. The longer someone has diabetes and the less control they have over their blood sugar levels, the higher the chance of experiencing this eye complication. Surprisingly, some indiviuals have no symptoms at all. Thus, all diabetes patients must undergo a routine eye exam even if they’re asymptomatic. This can help in the early detection and prevention of worsening diabetic retinopathy. It is also important to manage your diabetes well and address any eye issues as soon as they arise to prevent diabetic retinopathy.
Signs & Symptoms of Diabetic Retinopathy
During the initial stages, diabetic retinopathy often flies under the radar without showing any symptoms. It's not until the condition progresses that symptoms start to show up. This eye problem typically impacts both eyes. Common signs and symptoms include:
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Blurry vision
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Difficulty seeing colours clearly.
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Seeing floaters, which are like tiny specks or dark strings drifting in your vision.
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Experiencing patches or streaks that obstruct your sight.
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Struggling with night vision.
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Noticing a dark or empty area right at the centre of your vision.
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Sudden and complete loss of vision.
Consult an eye specialist in Old Airport Road, Bangalore if you are experiencing the above diabetic eye disease symptoms.
What Triggers Diabetic Retinopathy?
Long-standing diabetes and uncontrolled blood sugar levels are the most common triggers of diabetic retinopathy. Other things that can elevate your risk of diabetic retinopathy include:
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Having high cholesterol levels
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Having high blood pressure
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Poor diabetes management
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Smoking
Management & Treatment
Early Treatment
For early diabetic retinopathy, the focus lies on monitoring eye health and diabetes management.
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Regular eye exams are crucial to catch any changes to the retina early. Early diabetic retinopathy screening, detection and treatment can help prevent vision loss.
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Control of blood sugar levels through diet, exercise, and medication can help manage diabetic retinopathy. Your diabetes and endocrinologist will help manage your blood sugar levels and overall health.
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Medications (corticosteroids or anti-inflammatory drugs) are commonly prescribed to reduce inflammation and swelling in the retina.
Advanced Treatment Options
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Intravitreal Injections: Injections containing anti-VEGF drugs help block proteins that form new, leaky blood vessels. They reduce symptoms like eye swelling, thereby improving vision. These injections may be required monthly initially, but frequency may decrease over time.
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Laser therapy: The laser therapy called photocoagulation can shrink or seal blood vessels in the retina, and help prevent vision loss. Performed under local anaesthesia, laser therapy has two types - Scatter Laser Therapy (which shrinks blood vessels) and Focal Laser Therapy (which aims to stop leakage of blood vessels).
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Surgery: Vitrectomy is a common surgery that provides relief for patients with retina or vitreous issues like bleeding inside the eye. It involves removing and replacing part of the vitreous gel with a clear solution to maintain the shape of the eye. Eye drops will be prescribed to reduce swelling and prevent infection, post-surgery.
Consult an eye hospital in Old Airport Road, Bangalore if you need retinopathy treatment.
FAQS
FAQ's
Factors that make you more susceptible to retinopathy include:
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Any kind of diabetes, including type 1, 2, and gestational
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High cholesterols
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High blood pressure
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Smoking
The tiny blood vessels in the retina are affected by prolonged high blood sugar levels, resulting in diabetic retinopathy. The extent of the damage varies with the onset of retinopathy.
When diabetic retinopathy is mild, managing your diabetes well, especially in the beginning, could lead to some improvement. Medications might also help to prevent it from worsening. However, once it progresses to the advanced stage known as proliferative diabetic retinopathy, reversal isn't possible. Thus, we request all diabetic patients to consider undergoing dilated and detailed eye checkups routinely to detect and prevent this condition at its early onset.
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