Facts About Diabetic Retinopathy

By Author: Retinasurgeon
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Eye disease is a serious risk for those that have diabetes. People with type I and type II diabetes can get diabetic retinopathy, which is a slow progressing eye disease. Out of all the eye complications that are associated with diabetes, diabetic retinopathy is the most common, as are cataracts and glaucoma, all are caused by poorly controlled diabetes.

Diabetic retinopathy affects the retina and is caused by damaged blood vessels. The longer you have had diabetes, the higher your risk of this eye condition. Irregular or leaking blood vessels, along with retina swelling are all early symptoms of diabetic retinopathy. It is recommended that you have an eye exam every year with a specialist, who will quickly identify if there is anything to worry about.

The eye exams are not painful, usually viewing a chart to check your distance sight and testing the pressure inside the eye. You may have drops placed in the eye, which enables the specialist to check the inside of the eye. Glaucoma is when there is excessive pressure on the inside of the eye, causing optic nerve damage. Diabetes increases the risk of glaucoma.

Anyone ...
... with diabetes that experiences sudden changes in their vision, should contact their doctor immediately. This may be bad vision in dim lights, blind spots, double vision, floating spots, pain in the eyes or headaches, blurred vision and poor peripheral vision. Eye disease can also progress without any symptoms, which is common with diabetic retinopathy, due to its slow progression rate. This sis why you must attend your annual eye examinations as a preventative measure, while managing your blood sugar and blood pressure. Your blood pressure should be checked every six months.

There is two types of diabetic eye disease. Non-Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy (NPDR) is the first and is the early stage f the disease. Many people with diabetes already have this. This is when the tiny blood vessels leak and make the retina swell. As the macular swells, it's referred to as a macular edema and is the most common reason why people with diabetes lose their vision. NPDR also causes the blood vessels in the retina to close, called macular ischemia. This means blood cannot get to the macular, which will cause blurred vision.

The second type of diabetic eye disease is Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy (PDR), which is the advanced stage of this eye disease. This happens when the retina starts growing new blood vessles, known as neoovascularisation. These fragile new blood vessels bleed into the vitreous gel, which results in dark floaters. If they bleed heavily, your vision may be blocked all together. PDR is very serous and can take both the central and peripheral vision. The new blood vessels can cause scar tissue to form, which can results in a detached retina.

Many people have diabetic retinopathy and do not know it, because there are no symptoms in the early stages. Most of the time a person only noticed visual changes as the disease progresses. Some of the signs of diabetic retinopathy includes an increase in eye floaters, blurred vision, vision that changes from blurred to clear, seeing dark areas in your field of vision, poor night vision, colours are faded and losing vision. Usually both eyes are affected.

In order to diagnose diabetic retinopathy, an ophthalmologist will use drops in your eye to dilate the pupil, which enables them to look inside the eye.

About Us: Mahi Muqit is a leading consultant ophthalmologist, cataract and vitreoretinal surgeon at two private clinics in London, United Kingdom. He provides patients with superior service and support with a range of surgical procedures to meet their eye sight requirements. He has built up a solid reputation for his eye services in the London area as an expert eye doctor and surgeon offering surgical retina, medical retina and complex cataract surgery. He also offers surgery to patients suffering from diabetic retinopathy. Mahi Muqit is a member of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists, a member of the British and Eire Association of Vitreoretinal Surgeons and the UK and Ireland Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons. To find out more, visit http://www.retinasurgeon.uk.com