Oklahoma Eye Center - Diabetic Retinopathy

What is Diabetic Retinopathy?

Diabetic retinopathy is a disease that leads to blurry, distorted vision and blindness. It occurs when diabetes weakens blood vessels inside your eye. These weak vessels leak fluid into an area of the eye called the retina. New, distorted vessels may grow, then bleed. These vessels can damage areas of the retina, causing vision loss.

What causes Diabetic Retinopathy?	What Are the Symptoms?
Diabetes is the cause of this disease. Over time, diabetes makes blood vessels weaken all over the body, including in the eyes. Other things can combine with diabetes to make retinopathy worse. The include pregnancy, high blood pressure, and smoking.	You can have diabetic retinopathy without knowing it. Usually, there is no pain and no outward sign. Over time, you may notice gradual blurring or some vision loss. Symptoms may come and go. If diabetic retinopathy is severe, you may have clouded vision or blindness.

What You Can DO

You can have regular eye exams to help your doctor detect changes in you eyes before your vision is damaged. You can also take steps to prevent or control diabetic retinopathy: Control your diabetes, quit smoking, and control high blood pressure.

Get Regular Eye Exams

Have an eye exam every year or as often as your doctor suggests. During the exam, the doctor asks about your health and family history. This helps him or her know your risk of getting diabetic retinopathy. You may also have tests to measure your vision. Your doctor may dilate your eyes and use special instruments to view and take pictures of you retina.

Control Diabetes and Other Risk Factors

Controlling diabetes and other risk factors may prevent or limit retinopathy. Follow your diabetes treatment plan:

Watch your diet
Get regular exercise
Take medicines as prescribed
Check your blood sugar levels as often as your family doctor suggests.

If you smoke, quit. If you have high blood pressure, keep it under control.

Treating Diabetic Retinopathy

Treatment may help slow the progress of diabetic retinopathy. Sometimes it also restores lost vision. Your treatment plan depends on your condition. It may include frequent exams to monitor your condition, laser treatment, and other procedures.

Monitoring Your Vision

Types of Treatment

At first, your doctor may simply want to monitor your eye health. From time to time, he or she may take pictures of your retina. You may also have an angiogram. This test uses a special dye to create detailed images of the retina. These images help your doctor decide whether special treatments are needed. If your vision worsens, you and your eye doctor may decide that surgery might help.

Special treatments can help stop bleeding, slow new vessel growth, and preserve vision. The type of treatment you get depends on your condition.

Laser treatment can help stop leaks and limit vessel growth.
Surgery can repair a damaged retina.
Surgery can also remove the vitreous. This surgery may help if the vitreous becomes filled with blood and obscures your vision.

It's Up to You

You can control diabetes through diet, exercise, and medicine. These same steps may help control diabetic retinopathy. So can treating other health problems that make this disease worse. Have an eye exam every year or as often as your doctor suggests. If you notice your vision getting worse, call your doctor right away.

< back to Eye Care page