Diabetes complications that damage the eyes are referred to as diabetic retinopathy. The blood vessels of the retina, a light-sensitive region in the back of the eye, are damaged as a result of this condition.
Initially, diabetic retinopathy may not manifest any symptoms or may only result in minor visual issues. But it could result in blindness.
Any person with type 1 or type 2 diabetes has the potential to acquire the illness. The likelihood of developing this ocular problem increases with the duration of diabetes and the degree of blood sugar management.
Symptoms
During the early stages of diabetic retinopathy, you may not experience any symptoms. As the situation worsens, you might get:
- Floaters are spots or black threads that appear in your eyesight.
- Distorted vision
- Unstable vision
- Regions of vision that are dark or vacant
- Loss of vision
When should I see an eye doctor
The greatest method to avoid losing your eyesight is to carefully control your diabetes. Even if your eyesight looks normal, get an annual eye checkup with dilation if you have diabetes.
Your risk of diabetic retinopathy might rise if you already have diabetes or develop it during pregnancy (gestational diabetes). Your eye doctor may advise further eye examinations during your pregnancy if you’re expecting.
If your eyesight suddenly changes or becomes cloudy, splotchy, or blurry, call your eye doctor straight away.
Causes
Over time, having too much sugar in your blood may cause the little blood capillaries that feed the retina to become blocked, severing the retina’s blood supply. The eye makes an effort to generate new blood vessels as a consequence. However, these new blood vessels don’t grow correctly and are highly prone to leakage.
Diabetic retinopathy comes in two different forms:
Acute diabetic retinopathy. Nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR), the more prevalent variety, is characterized by the absence of new blood vessel growth (proliferation).
The blood vessels in your retina become more vulnerable to damage if you have nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR). Small protrusions from the smaller arteries’ walls may sometimes leak fluid and blood into the retina. The diameter of larger retinal vessels might also start to enlarge and change. NPDR may worsen when more blood vessels are blocked, going from moderate to severe.
There may sometimes be an accumulation of fluid (edema) in the macular region of the retina as a result of retinal blood vessel injury. Treatment is needed if macular edema impairs vision in order to avoid irreversible vision loss.
Advanced diabetic retinopathy. Proliferative diabetic retinopathy is a more serious form of diabetic retinopathy that may develop. This kind results in the development of new, aberrant blood vessels in the retina when injured blood vessels seal off. The transparent, jelly-like material (vitreous), which fills the center of your eye, might seep into these nascent blood vessels because they are weak and flimsy.
The retina may eventually separate from the back of your eye as a result of scar tissue produced by the development of new blood vessels. The eyeball may become pressurized if the new blood vessels obstruct the usual drainage of fluid from the eye. Glaucoma may develop as a consequence of this accumulation harming the optic nerve, which delivers pictures from your eye to your brain.
Diabetic retinal disease
The retinal blood vessels’ walls deteriorate in the early stages of diabetic retinopathy. Small bulges that sometimes leak or ooze fluid and blood into the retina protrude from the vessel walls. The retina’s tissues might enlarge, resulting in white patches. New blood vessels might develop when diabetic retinopathy worsens and endanger your eyesight.
Risk elements
Diabetes may cause diabetic retinopathy in anybody with the disease. The following factors may raise the chance of acquiring the eye condition:
- A lengthy history of diabetes
- Having trouble controlling your blood sugar
- Elevated blood pressure
- High triglycerides
- Pregnancy
- Nicotine usage
- Having a race other than white, black, or hispanic.
Complications
The development of aberrant blood vessels in the retina is a complication of diabetic retinopathy. Complications may result in severe eyesight issues:
Vitreous bleeding. The translucent, jelly-like fluid that fills the center of your eye may leak from the new blood vessels. You may only see a few black patches (floaters) if there is just a tiny quantity of blood. Blood may fill the vitreous cavity in more severe situations, totally obstructing your vision.
Usually, a vitreous hemorrhage does not result in permanent visual loss. Within a few weeks or months, the eye’s blood usually stops being present. Your eyesight should regain its usual clarity, barring any retinal injury.
Retinal separation. Scar tissue may pull the retina away from the back of the eye as a result of the aberrant blood vessels linked to diabetic retinopathy. This may result in floating dots in your field of vision, bright flashes, or serious vision loss.
Glaucoma. The iris, the portion of your eye that is in front, might develop new blood vessels that can obstruct the fluid’s natural passage out of the eye, increasing pressure within the eye. The optic nerve, which transmits pictures from your eye to your brain, may get damaged as a result of this strain.
Blindness. Complete vision loss may result from diabetic retinopathy, macular edema, glaucoma, or a combination of these disorders, particularly if the symptoms are not well controlled.
Prevention
Sometimes it’s impossible to stop diabetic retinopathy. Regular eye checkups, healthy blood sugar and blood pressure management, and early vision issue resolution, however, may help avoid serious vision loss.
If you have diabetes, do the following steps to lower your chance of developing diabetic retinopathy:
Controlling your diabetes. Make exercising and eating well a part of your everyday regimen. Get at least 150 minutes each week of moderate aerobic exercise, such as walking. As prescribed, use insulin or oral diabetic medicines.
Track the level of your blood sugar. If you’re sick or under stress, you may need to check and record your blood sugar level more often than once a day. How often should you test your blood sugar? Ask your doctor.
Inquire with your doctor about a test for glycosylated hemoglobin. The hemoglobin A1C test, also known as the glycosylated hemoglobin test, measures your average blood sugar level throughout the two to three months prior to the test. The A1C target for the majority of diabetes sufferers is 7% or less.
Keep your cholesterol and blood pressure under control. Losing extra weight, maintaining a balanced diet, and exercising often may assist. Occasionally, medication is also required.
Ask your doctor for assistance in quitting if you smoke or use other tobacco products. Smoking raises your chances of developing diabetic retinopathy and other problems.
Watch for alterations in your eyesight. If your eyesight suddenly changes or becomes cloudy, splotchy, or blurry, call your eye doctor straight away.
Always keep in mind that diabetes does not always cause visual loss. Complications from diabetes may be greatly reduced by actively managing the condition.