Diabetic retinopathy results from a complication of diabetes. Diabetic retinopathy involves damage to the retina due to the mutilation of the blood vessels at the back of the eye which comprises light-sensitive tissues.
How does diabetes cause this?
Diabetes sets in when the pancreas does not secrete sufficient insulin or when the body is incapable to process the insulin properly. The consequence is that the body is unable to use or store sugar normally. When the blood sugar thus shoots up beyond a certain level, it leads to impairment of the blood vessels, which in turn leads to diabetic retinopathy.
Stages of diabetic retinopathy
Diabetes retinopathy can affect anyone with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes. It has the following four disease stages:
Mild non-proliferative Retinopathy: This is the earliest stage of the disease where there is the occurrence of microaneurysms. These are small regions of balloon-like swelling in the blood vessels of the retina.
Moderate non-proliferative Retinopathy: In this stage, some of the blood vessels that nourish and maintain the retina are blocked.
Severe non-proliferative Retinopathy: More and more blood vessels of the retina are blocked, which happen to have crucial roles of sending signals to the brain to develop new blood vessels.
Proliferative Retinopathy: The affected areas of the retina send signals to replenish the blood vessels. The new blood vessels are fragile and abnormal ones. If they leak, it can result in severe vision loss and even blindness.
Treatment
The American Academy of Ophthalmology says that in 95% cases, prevention of severity is possible if treated on time. One effective treatment is laser photocoagulation. This cements the blood vessels which are leaking besides destroying new blood vessel growth.
1 Comment
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