WHAT IS DIABETIC RETINOPATHY?
By: Deirdre Holloway, M.D –

Diabetic Retinopathy is the most common of the diabetic eye diseases and is the leading cause of blindness in the United States.  It occurs when there is damage to the blood vessels of the retina of the eye.  Usually there are no symptoms such as pain or blurred vision early in the disease.  However, in the more advanced phases, loss of vision can occur due to leaking fluid from the damaged vessels or bleeding from abnormal blood vessels that grow on the back of the eye.

Normal vision Same scene viewed by a person with diabetic retinopathy
Almost half of all people with diabetes will develop some form of retinopathy during their lives. The development of retinopathy is influenced by the duration and severity of diabetes, the control of the blood sugar and other factors such as hypertension and smoking which increase the probability of its occurrence.  Research has shown that better control of the blood sugar can slow onset and progression of this eye disease.

The good news is that retinopathy can be detected early and the severe complications that might occur later can often be prevented by treatment Laser treatment is used by the eye care professional to treat this disease by concentrating focused light energy on the back of the eye.  Since there are generally no early warning signs of diabetic retinopathy, the best defense is an annual dilated eye exam by an eye professional.

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Images courtesy National Eye Institute (NEI)and the National Eye Health Education Program (NEHEP)