Treatment

Treatment For Diabetic Eye

When diabetic retinopathy is diagnosed, the ophthalmologist considers the patient’s age, history, lifestyle and the degree of damage to the retina before deciding on the treatment or the continued monitoring of the progress of the disease. In many cases treatment is not needed; in others, treatment is recommended to halt the damage by diabetic retinopathy and sometimes to improve sight.

Probably the most significant treatment is the use of ophthalmologic laser surgery to seal or photocoagulate the leaking blood vessels. This procedure focuses a powerful beam of laser light energy onto the damaged retina. Small bursts of the laser’s intense heat stop the bleeding by sealing leaking vessels and forming tiny scars inside the eye. These scars reduce abnormal blood vessel growth and help bond the retina to the back of eye. This treatment does not require admission in a hospital. It is an outdoor procedure, does not require an incision and may be performed in the ophthalmologist’s office. If diabetic retinopathy is detected early, photocoagulation by ophthalmologic laser surgery may stop continued damage. Even in advanced stage of the disease, it can reduce the chance that a patient will have severe visual loss.

However, photocoagulation cannot be used in all patients. Depending on the location and extent of diabetic retinopathy, and if the vitreous is too clouded with blood, another treatment must be used. In this surgical procedure, called vasectomy, the blood-filled vitreous is removed from the eye and replaced with a clear, artificial solution. About 70 per cent of vasectomy patients notice an improvement in sight. The ophthalmologists may recommend a vasectomy soon after the vitreous becomes clouded by blood, or wait up to a year to see if the eye clears itself naturally. The timing for each patient depends on the extent of damage to the eye and the condition of the other eye. If, however, diabetic retinopathy causes the retina to detach from the back of the eye, severe sight loss or blindness can result unless surgery is performed immediately to reattach the retina.

Successful treatment of diabetic retinopathy not only depends on its early detection with monitoring by an ophthalmologist, but also on the patient’s attitude and self-care. All medications should be taken and a diet to control diabetes should be followed as directed. Although physical activity presents few problems with background retinopathy, it can increase bleeding in proliferate retinopathy. Exercise for patients with proliferate retinopathy should be moderate, and straining or leaning over with the head down should be avoided.