Diabetic Retinopathy Symptoms, Risk factors & Detection

All about Diabetic Retinopathy

Diabetic Retinopathy is one of the most common eye disease linked with diabetes. It is the leading cause of blindness among working age people and adults in America. It is diabetic complication but with early treatment and detection, severe vision loss is preventable.

It is unambiguous micro vascular complication found in both non- insulin and insulin dependent (type 2) diabetes patient and it occurs due to the microangiopathy affecting the venules, precapillary arterioles and capillaries. According to the United States, National Eye Institute, it is one of the major causes of blindness in Americans. In some cases, patients suffering from this condition suffer from inflamed blood vessels and excretion of the fluid. If left untreated, it may lead to vision loss or blindness.

Symptoms of Diabetic Retinopathy

Many times, patients report no symptoms in the early stage of Diabetic Retinopathy. Patients experience following symptoms in the advance stage of this eye condition:

• Red film or dark streaks that obstruct the vision
• Missing or shadow areas of vision
• Spots floating
• Poor night vision
• Blurred vision
• Vision loss

The irregular growth of new blood vessels gives rise to serious complications such as retinal detachment, vitreous hemorrhage, glaucoma and blindness. Usually, this disease affects both eyes.

Diabetic Retinopathy Risk factors

People suffering from severe diabetes or increased glucose levels for longer period are at an increased risk of developing Diabetic Retinopathy. High cholesterol levels, smoking, failure to control diabetes, and high blood pressure are few risk factors for associated with this eye disease. Pregnant women suffering from diabetes are at a greater risk of developing this eye disease.

Detecting Diabetic Retinopathy

If you notice any of the above listed symptoms, immediately seek the advice of a doctor. An eye specialist examines your eye thoroughly. In this test, an eye specialist enlarges the pupil by using eye drops and then examines the retina. He examines the eye for the following conditions:

• Swelling
• Abnormal blood vessels
• Fatty deposits or bleeding in the retina
• Development of new blood vessels
• Bleeding in vitreous, (it is a jelly like substance filling the center of the eye)
• Scar tissues
• Retinal detachment

Doctors also suggests other tests such as fluorescein angiography, also called retinal photography and optical coherence tomography (OCT) for detecting Diabetic Retinopathy.