Diabetic Retinopathy Care

Diabetic Retinopathy (DR)

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Retina is the light sensitive film in the back of the eye on which the rays of light are brought to focus to form an image. This image is transmitted to the brain by the optic nerve. The vitreous is the clear gel that fills the back of the eye. The “Macula” is the central portion of the retina that is responsible for most of our vision.

Diabetes causes weakening of the blood vessels in the body including those of the retina. This deterioration of retinal blood vessels, accompanied by structural changes in the retina, is termed diabetic retinopathy and in the severe stage may lead to loss of vision. Diabetic retinopathy occurs in more than half of the people who develop diabetes. The condition can develop in anyone who has type 1 or type 2 diabetes.

Types of DR

There are two main forms of diabetic retinopathy. The first is the non-proliferative type (background retinopathy). The second type is proliferative retinopathy. The non-proliferative type is usually less severe, serving as a warning sign to possible progression to proliferative retinopathy.

Macular edema can degrade critical central vision. The area of the macula can thicken as fluid from leaking blood vessels pools within the retinal layers. In addition to these fluid pockets, the important retinal neurons critical to central vision can be damaged or lost.

Laser may be applied around the macula to reduce fluid leakage as a treatment of macular edema.

New treatment approaches exist for some types of macular edema and the wet form of macular degeneration. Angiogenesis inhibitor medications known as Anti-VEGF are injected into the eye to inhibit the growth of new blood vessels and neovascular tissue.

Symptoms

• Spots or dark strings floating in your vision (floaters)
• Blurred or fluctuating vision
• Impaired colour vision
• Dark or empty areas in vision
• Vision loss
• Diabetic retinopathy usually affects both eyes

Risk Factors & Diagnosis

All diabetic patients are at risk for diabetic retinopathy. Risk increases the longer a person has diabetes. Diagnosis includes:

• Visual acuity testing (near and distance vision chart)
• Tonometry (measuring pressure inside the eye)
• Pupil dilation to view the back of the eye
• Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) capturing detailed tissue layers
• Fluorescein Angiogram to locate damaged or leaking blood vessels

Prevention & Treatment

Early treatment can reduce the risk of blindness by 95%. It is recommended that people with diabetes get a dilated eye exam once a year. Optimal glucose control reduces the risk of DR. Treatment options include:

• Anti-VEGF Injections
• Focal / grid macular laser
• Corticosteroids
• Pan-retinal Photocoagulation
• Vitrectomy

Summary

Those with diabetes should have frequent eye exams. Early detection is very important to management of diabetic retinopathy. Treatments may halt, slow, or in some cases, fail to control the progression of this very serious and difficult eye disease. Any changes to your vision should be brought to your eye care provider’s attention immediately.

Contact Us

If you have any other questions or concerns, please contact us at:

The Eye Clinic

Dr Swati Agarwal - The Eye Clinic
2A Motilal Basak lane, Kakurgachi, Kolkata, WB 700054
www.swatiagarwal.in | +91 9147714355 | [email protected]