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Diabetic Retinopathy

By

The Manual's Editorial Staff

Reviewed/Revised Mar 2023
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The retina is a layer of cells at the back of your eye that's sensitive to light and sends signals to the brain that allow you to see.

The Retina and Optic Nerve
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The retina is fed by many small blood vessels. These blood vessels can become damaged in people with diabetes Diabetes Diabetes is a disease in which your blood sugar (glucose) levels are too high. You get diabetes if your body's normal way of controlling blood sugar isn't working right. There are 2 types of... read more . The vessels can leak blood and damage the retina. Sometimes the damaged vessels grow back abnormally, which can make the problem worse.

What is diabetic retinopathy?

Diabetic retinopathy is damage to your retina caused by having diabetes Diabetes Diabetes is a disease in which your blood sugar (glucose) levels are too high. You get diabetes if your body's normal way of controlling blood sugar isn't working right. There are 2 types of... read more . People with diabetes have high blood sugar. High blood sugar damages blood vessels. Small blood vessels in the kidney and the eye are especially at risk for damage.

  • Everyone with diabetes has some changes to their retina

  • You can have diabetic retinopathy and not know it

  • If diabetic retinopathy gets worse, you can have problems with your vision

  • Doctors treat severe diabetic retinopathy with laser treatments and shots into the eye

What causes diabetic retinopathy?

Without treatment, diabetic retinopathy gets worse the longer you have diabetes. Pregnancy can also make diabetic retinopathy worse.

What are the symptoms of diabetic retinopathy?

You may not have symptoms at first, but usually diabetic retinopathy causes:

  • Slow, steady vision loss

  • Blind spots

  • Blurriness in the middle of your vision

Later, you may have symptoms such as:

  • Floaters (dark spots that seem to be moving across your field of vision)

  • Flashing lights

  • Sudden, severe, painless vision loss

Depending upon the areas of the retina that have been damaged, some people don't have vision loss even when diabetic retinopathy is severe.

How can doctors tell if I have diabetic retinopathy?

To tell if you have diabetic retinopathy, doctors will:

  • Use an ophthalmoscope (an instrument with a light for looking inside the eye) to look for leaky blood vessels and growth of abnormal new vessels

  • Give you a shot in your vein of a special dye that helps doctors see the blood vessels in your eye (a procedure called fluorescein angiography)

  • Take pictures of your retina

How do doctors treat diabetic retinopathy?

Controlling your blood sugar and blood pressure levels is important. Doctors will give you medicine and tell you how a good diet can help control your blood sugar and blood pressure. It's also important that you:

  • Get your blood sugar and blood pressure checked often

  • Have your eyes checked regularly by an eye doctor

  • Don't smoke, or stop if you do

Your doctor may also give you:

NOTE: This is the Consumer Version. DOCTORS: VIEW PROFESSIONAL VERSION
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