Diabetic Retinopathy

Diabetic retinopathy refers to damage to the retina caused by diabetes. Depending on the cause and severity of diabetic retinopathy, vision blurriness or even blindness could occur.

The first stage of the disease is called nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR). The blood vessels that serve the retina leak fluid or blood, causing the retina to swell. Mild cases of NPDR usually do not affect vision acuity.

Macular edema and macular ischemia are the secondary phases of diabetic retinopathy and are the most common causes of vision loss in diabetic patients. The macula is the small area of the retina responsible for seeing small details. When the leaking blood vessels of the retina cause the macula to swell, central vision loss occurs. Laser treatment can often be used to control vision loss caused by macular edema.

Macular ischemia occurs when the blood vessels close up entirely, cutting off nutrition to the macula. Rather than losing their sight completely, patients with macular ischemia will instead experience blurry vision. There is currently no viable treatment for this condition.
 

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Proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) occurs when the retina grows new, fragile blood vessels to compensate for blood vessels that have closed off. These new vessels tend to leak dangerous amounts of fluid and blood into the eye, causing obscured vision due to the opaque material floating in the eye. If scar tissue forms around the blood vessels, the retina may become distorted or even detached.

In many cases, Dr. Sastry can perform retinal laser or intraocular injections to correct the problems caused by all phases of diabetic retinopathy.

Diabetic patients should have regular cataract and glaucoma monitoring because retinopathy can cause serious vision loss very quickly. To schedule an appointment, contact our office today.

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