Treatment of Diabetes Retinopathy
By: Mark MonteiroTotal Views: 90, Word Count: 543,
Diabetic retinopathy is injury to the eye retina due to diabetes mellitus problem that leads to blindness. It is an optical manifestation of diseases that affects up to 80% of all patients who have had diabetes for more than 10 years. Research indicates that 90% of such cases can be reduced if proper treatment of diabetes retinopathy is taken.
Causes and Symptoms of Diabetes Retinopathy
Most of the people with diabetic retinopathy do not have particular symptoms due to their retinopathy. However, without proper treatment, it can lead to visual loss or even blindness and make it worst. Diabetic retinopathy is the common cause of blindness in young people. Initial symptoms can be blurred vision, flashes, seeing floaters or even experiencing a sudden loss of vision.
Diabetes Retinopathy Stages
- Non-Proliferative Retinopathy (Mild): During this stage, micro aneurysms take place. Small areas of swelling takes place in the tiny blood vessels of retinas.
- Non-Proliferative Retinopathy (Severe): The vessels of the blood get stored, affecting the other areas of the retina with blood supply. Signals can be sent by these areas to the body to grow new blood vessels for nourishment.
- Non-Proliferative Retinopathy (Moderate): In this stage, some blood vessels that nourish the retina are blocked.
- Proliferative Retinopathy: At this advanced stage, the retina sends signals that affect new blood vessels’ growth.
Treatment of Diabetes Retinopathy
The treatment of diabetic retinopathy depends on the stage of the disease:
- At the initial stage, it requires periodic follow up to look for progression of disease. When the disease gets advanced, the doctor can decide to treat it with laser. There are many defined criteria for laser therapy. It is done when there is significant maculopathy, or new blood vessels in the retina.
- Surgery is also advisable for managing the diabetic retinopathy complications like retinal detachment or vitreous hemorrhage. No treatment is required during the first three stages unless you have macular edema. To prevent further diabetic retinopathy, people with diabetes must control blood sugar level, blood pressure, and cholesterol.
- Proliferative retinopathy can be treated with laser surgery which is also called scatter laser treatment. It lessens the abnormal blood vessels. The doctor puts around 1,000 to 2,000 burns of laser on the areas that are affected of the retina away from the macula, causing the abnormal blood vessels to reduce. Two or more sessions are needed to finish the treatment. You can notice loss of your side vision. Scatter laser treatment reduces your night and color vision. It acts better before the delicate and new blood vessels that have started to bleed. You must have regular, comprehensive dilated eye exams. Even if bleeding has begun, such treatment is possible, depending on the bleeding amount.
- If the bleeding is more, you need a surgical process called vitrectomy. During this process, blood is removed from the center of your eye.
If you have gentle diabetic retinopathy, then you will not need any specific treatment of diabetes retinopathy other than controlling risk factors like blood pressure, glucose and cholesterol levels.
About the Author
Dr. Mark Monteiro is graduated from the Hazard University and done his MBA from the he University Of Illinois College Of Medicine. Currently he is working as general physician at Elmhurst Loyola Center for Health. For over 15 years he has been a pioneer in the field of physician health. He has contributed to the treatment of many diseases like- ASTHMA, TUBERCULOSIS, HIV, HEPATITIS AND ITS TREATMENT.
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