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Diabetic Retinopathy
Diabetic retinopathy is a diabetes complication which affects the eyes due to the blood vessels of the light-sensitive tissue, which is at the back of your eye; are called a retina is damaged.
People who have been diagnosed with type 1 or type 2 diabetes may develop this condition. The longer you have diabetes and the less controlled your blood sugar level is, this leads to you is likely to occur this eye complication.
During the early stages of diabetic retinopathy, they might be no symptoms experienced. As the condition progresses, people who might have diabetic retinopathy may experience symptoms, including:
Spots or dark strings that are floating in your vision called eye floaters- Blurred vision
- Fluctuating vision
- Impaired colour vision
- Dark or empty areas within your vision
- Vision loss
Diabetic retinopathy usually affects both the eyes. You must contact Dr Davey immediately if your visions changes suddenly or it becomes blurry, spotty or hazy.
Diabetic retinopathy treatment includes:
- This is a laser treatment also known as focal laser treatment which is used to stop or slow down the leakage of blood and fluid that's in the eye. During this treatment, Dr Davey will treat any leaks from abnormal blood vessels with laser burns.
- Panretinal photocoagulation. This is a laser treatment which is also known as scatter laser treatment, used to shrink the abnormal blood vessels. During the treatment, Dr Davey will burn the areas of the retina away from the macula using a scattered laser. The burns may cause abnormal new blood vessels to shrink and then scar.
- This procedure is done through tiny incisions made in your eye so that Dr Davey may remove blood in the middle of the eye, called the vitreous, as well as scar tissues that may be tugging on the retina.
- Injecting medicine into the eye. Dr Davey may inject medication into the vitreous in the eye. This medication helps stop the growth of new blood vessels by blocking the growth signals that the body transmits to generate new blood vessels.
When should I see an ophthalmologist?
People that have a family history of eye disease, a history of eye injuries, diabetes or those
over the age of 65 should see their ophthalmologist regularly. In addition, the following
symptoms should be checked out by an eye specialist:
- Changes in vision
- Flashes of light
- Floaters or specks in your vision
- Lines that appear distorted
- Darks spots in your vision
- Decreased or blurry vision (even if temporary)
- Double vision
- Dry and itchy eyes
- Eye pain
- Eye or surroundings of the eye is red
- Eye discharge or tearing
- Bulging of one or both eyes