Diabetic Retinopathy-Information, Advice and Support

If you are a diabetic patient, chances are you have a high probability of contacting diabetic retinopathy, a disease of the eye that usually affects people with high sugar levels. When a person is suffering from diabetic retinopathy, it indicates that blood clots have developed in the retina of the eye. The most dangerous side effect of this disease is that it could lead to permanents loss of vision if ignored for long. Hence, it is better to catch diabetic retinopathy early for proper treatment.

Useful information about diabetic retinopathy

Normally, it’s hard to recognize symptoms of this disease in early stages but some common signs do surface over time.

• Floaters-tiny dots of blood floating in your vision.
• Bleeding in eye occurs after sleep due to hemorrhage
• Vision impairment or blurred vision after disappearance of other symptoms.
• Permanent swelling of eye's retina.
• Complete loss of vision.

One complication that arises while observing these symptoms is that these are the signs which are common to many other eye conditions as well. Thus the chances of diabetic patients considering them specifically for diabetic retinopathy are quite slim. That is why doctors recommend going in for regular eye examination twice a year.

Ophthalmologists take various tests before confirming your eye condition to be indeed diabetic retinopathy through following measures

• Eye vision check with eye chart tests on a regular basis to find any substantial changes.
• Using Tonometry to check pressure levels within the eye.
• Physical inspection of the eye using eye drops to widen the eyes.

Diabetic Retinopathy which is most likely to affect people with Type I and Type II diabetes has in fact 4 stages with varying degree of seriousness.

Stage I- Mild NonProliferative Retinopathy

Retina of the eye has various small blood vessels along with many swellings.

Stage II-Moderate NonProliferative Retinopathy

The swellings worsen and start blocking blood vessels to the retina.

Stage III- Severe NonProliferative Retinopathy

The blocked vessels become further swollen thus depriving several areas of the retina of their essential supply of blood. The retina in compensation asks the brain for growing more blood vessels.

Stage IV-Proliferative Retinopathy

Newly formed blood vessels are too fragile to cope up with the blood flow ultimately leading to permanent loss of vision.

Diabetic Retinopathy Advice and Support

Although once damaged, the loss of vision cannot be repaired, but if caught in its early stages, then whatever damage might have occurred can be salvaged.

The modern technology has made it possible to treat diabetic retinopathy with focal lens surgery. In this surgery a highly focused beam of light is directed to destroy blood clots and repair blood vessels of the eye's retina.

However, this method only treats retinopathy. Controlling diabetes is a long process which requires keeping levels of sugar in patient's blood within limits with the aid of exercise, right diet and medication.

At Sharp Sight Centres in Delhi, India diabetic retinopathy is treated with the use of advanced technology under expert guidance. Find out more: www.sharpsight.in/retina.php