What is Diabetic Retinopathy?

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Diabetic Retinopathy is damage to the retina caused by complications from diabeties. In fact, it can effect up to 80% of all people who have had diabeties for 10 years or more. And research indicates that up to 90% of these cases could be reducted with proper treatment and monitoring.*

Diabetic retinopathy can often go unnoticed by a patient, as many patients with diabetic retinopathy notice no symptoms until it is too late. Blurred vision, which can sometimes be intermittent, is a sign of this disease.

Basically, as diabetic retinopathy progresses, blood vessels can rupture in the back part of the eye, leaving a pool or dot of blood which may take months or years to clear- or in some cases, they don't ever clear out of the eye.

 

How is it treated?

There is no cure for diabetic retinopathy, but there are quite a few different methods used to treat the eyes to slow the progression of the disease to minimize vision loss. Treatment options include surgery, laser surgery, and medication injections.

*Statistics courtesy WIkipedia.com