Diabetic Retinopathy
Treatment

In the early stages of diabetic retinopathy, patients usually do not show symptoms, and treatment is not always required. Patients have to monitor their blood-sugar levels to prevent the condition from worsening. If it does, prompt treatment is necessary to preserve vision.

Patients who develop diabetic retinopathy may not, at first, notice any changes to their vision. In its earliest stages, the condition causes tiny areas of swelling in the small blood vessels of the retina. Once symptoms are present, they include the following:

• Blurred or double vision
• Seeing flashing lights, blank spots or dark floaters
• Pain or pressure in either or both eyes
• Problems with peripheral vision

Diabetic retinopathy has four stages, each one increasingly serious:

1. Mild nonproliferative retinopathy
2. Moderate nonproliferative retinopathy
3. Severe nonproliferative retinopathy
4. Proliferative retinopathy

Diagnosis of diabetic retinopathy requires a thorough eye examination that may include  the following:

• Visual-acuity test
• Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT)
• Dilated-eye examination
• Tonometry test
• Retinal exam
• Fluorescein angiogram

Other than controlling blood pressure, blood cholesterol and blood sugar, treatment may not be needed during the early stages of diabetic retinopathy. Proliferative retinopathy, can be treated with a laser surgery known as scatter laser treatment or with injections into the back of the eye using anti-VEGF medication. Severe blood-vessel bleeding may need to be surgically corrected with a vitrectomy, during which blood is removed from the eye.

Treatment for macular edema usually includes injections into the back of the eye using anti-VEGF medications. This treatment helps reduce the risk of vision loss and may improve loss vision in many cases.

A patient with diabetes should have an annual comprehensive dilated-eye exam. In the United States, more than 40 percent of diabetics have some form of diabetic retinopathy.
The risks of developing diabetic retinopathy can be minimized by doing the following:

• Monitoring changes in vision
• Keeping blood-glucose levels low
• Monitoring and managing blood pressure
• Eating a healthy diet
• Participating in a regular exercise routine
• Monitoring and managing cholesterol levels

Patients with proliferative retinopathy can reduce their risk of blindness by 95 percent by keeping up with medical examinations, and promptly getting necessary treatment.