Diabetic Retinopathy: What You Should Know About Symptoms, Diagnosis, Complications, And Treatment

Untreated or uncontrolled diabetes can lead to an array of complications in pretty much any part of the body, including the eyes. Diabetic retinopathy, in particular, is a common complication of diabetes. Diabetic retinopathy develops when high blood sugar levels damage the blood vessels at the back of the eye, in a region known as the retina. Diabetic retinopathy doesn’t usually cause any symptoms in its early stages, and if it does, severe vision problems aren't typically among them. However, if left untreated, diabetic retinopathy can eventually lead to blindness.

What causes diabetic retinopathy?

Diabetic retinopathy develops because sustained high blood sugar levels damage and block the blood vessels that supply the retina with oxygen and other nutrients. Because the retina is no longer getting what it needs to function properly, the eye will try to grow more blood vessels to compensate. However, these newer blood vessels won't develop properly, and start to leak.

There are two type of diabetic retinopathy:

1. Early diabetic retinopathy. This is the most common form of diabetic retinopathy. People with early diabetic retinopathy don’t yet have new blood vessels. Instead, the walls of the blood vessels become weak, causing tiny pockets to protrude from the walls of the vessels, which eventually leads to fluid and blood leakage into the retina. As more and more blood vessels become blocked in patients with uncontrolled diabetes, early diabetic retinopathy progresses from mild to severe.
2. Advanced diabetic retinopathy. Patients with advanced diabetic retinopathy started off with early diabetic retinopathy but have progressed to this severe type. In patients with advanced diabetic retinopathy, the new abnormal blood vessels that grow in the retina leak a clears substance in the center of the eye. Eventually, the growth of new blood vessels causes scar tissue. This can force your retina to detach from your eye, resulting in vision loss unless treated promptly.

Symptoms of diabetic retinopathy

Generally, patients don’t have symptoms early on in the course of the disease. However, as the disease progresses, patients will develop symptoms that can include:

• Floaters (dark spots in your vision that are especially prominent when you look up to the sky on a bright day)
• Blurry vision
• Abnormal color vision
• Dark areas in your vision
• Vision loss

You will find these symptoms in both your eyes, as diabetic retinopathy usually develops in both eyes.

Diabetic retinopathy: What are the risk factors?

While diabetic retinopathy can affect anyone with diabetes, certain factors increase your risk. These include:

• Timing. Patients who have had diabetes for a long time are much more likely to develop diabetic retinopathy than people who recently developed diabetes.
• Uncontrolled blood sugar levels. Patients whose blood sugar levels are not well-controlled are more likely to develop the disease than those who have good control of their blood sugar levels.
• High blood pressure (hypertension).
• High cholesterol levels.
• Pregnancy.
• Using tobacco.
• African-American, Hispanic, and Native American diabetics are more likely to develop diabetic retinopathy.

Prevention: Can diabetic retinopathy be avoided?

In many cases, you can’t prevent the development of diabetic retinopathy. However, there are some things you can do to lower your risk and increase your chance of catching the disease early on. This include:

1. Getting regular eye check-ups. It is important to have an eye specialist check your eyes annually, if not more often, if you have had diabetes for a long time. This way, you can find out if you have diabetic retinopathy before you present with any symptoms and sustain any permanent damage.
2. Keep your blood sugar levels in the normal range. In order to prevent any complications associated with diabetes, including diabetic retinopathy, it is vital that you work to keep your sugar levels in the normal range. This can be achieved through exercise, diet, medication, or a combination of all these approaches. If your blood sugar levels are normal, you likely won’t experience any complications.
3. Monitor your blood sugar levels every day. One of the more important parts of managing diabetes is that you monitor your blood sugar levels every day, multiple times a day. You should also record your blood sugar levels so you can figure out the pattern and determine whether you need any changes to your medication or dosage if your sugar levels are not well-controlled.
4. Keep your blood pressure at a normal level. Having normal blood pressure is important in preventing diabetic retinopathy.
5. Keep your cholesterol levels under control. Similar to blood pressure, keeping your cholesterol in the normal range can also help prevent diabetic retinopathy.
6. Quit smoking or using any other type of tobacco. Tobacco use is associated with eye complications. If you have both diabetes and use tobacco, that increases your risk of developing diabetic retinopathy greatly.