What is Diabetic Retinopathy?
Diabetic retinopathy is a common and potentially sight-threatening complication of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes that affects the retina—the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye. It occurs when chronically elevated blood sugar levels damage the tiny blood vessels in the retina, leading to leakage, swelling, and in advanced cases cause abnormal vessel growths and tractional retinal detachments that can cause permanent vision loss. Because diabetic retinopathy often progresses without noticeable symptoms in its early stages, routine comprehensive eye exams are essential for timely detection and treatment. Coordinating care between an eye specialist and your primary care provider ensures optimal management of both ocular and systemic aspects of diabetes.
If you have Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes, it’s extremely important to attend yearly eye exams so our team of skilled, board-certified ophthalmologists at Ophthalmology Associates of the Valley can check your ocular health and determine if you have diabetic retinopathy. If you have diabetes, especially if you find it difficult to control your sugar levels, we highly recommend scheduling an appointment at either of our locations in Encino or West Hills.
What are the risk factors of diabetic retinopathy?
Several key risk factors contribute to the development and progression of diabetic retinopathies, including duration of diabetes, poor blood sugar control, high blood pressure, and elevated cholesterol levels.
Individuals with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes are particularly at risk, with the likelihood increasing the longer a person has diabetes and the less controlled their blood sugar levels are. In addition, pregnancy and tobacco use can also raise your risks of developing diabetic retinopathy.
What are the Signs of Diabetic Retinopathy?
Generally, at first, patients do not exhibit any noticeable signs during the first part of the disease. However, as the condition worsens, you may start to experience uncomfortable symptoms. These symptoms are often compared to retinal tears or detachments. Some of the primary indications of diabetic retinopathy include:
What is Diabetic Macular Edema?
Diabetic macular edema (DME) is a condition that is directly caused by diabetic retinopathy, which leads to swelling in that part of the retina known as the macula. The macula is essential for the central vision field and is used for reading, recognition, and driving.
What Causes Diabetic Retinopathy?
Diabetic retinopathy happens in Type 1 and Type 2 men and women who have a medical history of severe spikes in their blood sugar levels. If you have been diagnosed with diabetes, it’s extremely important to properly monitor and control your blood sugar levels and pursue professional medical care.
When your sugar is too high, retinal blood vessels start to harden, expand, and create blockages, which can cause bleeding or leakage if not correctly managed. If left undiagnosed and untreated, diabetic retinopathy may produce macular edema (macular swelling) or macular ischemia (blood has difficulty reaching the macula).
How is Diabetic Retinopathy Diagnosed?
Diabetic retinopathy is generally diagnosed during an eye exam that may include the following:
A visual acuity test
A dilated eye exam with eye drops that allows our team to assess your retina heath
Fluorescein angiography, a diagnostic tool where images are taken of the retina to examine blood flow and other retinal structures
Macular OCT, a diagnostic high-resolution scan to detect diabetic macular edema
If our ophthalmologists determine that you have this condition, a member of our team will assess which stage you’re at and review your diabetic retinopathy treatment options.
How is Diabetic Retinopathy Treated?
Our ophthalmologists at Ophthalmology Associates of the Valley are excited to provide a variety of innovative diabetic retinopathy treatment options, which we can tailor based on the severity of your disease. If you have leaking blood vessels, we can offer Pan-Retinal Photocoagulation (PRP), which can control the vessels using a specialized laser in the office. For patients with a more severe presentation, we offer anti-VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) injection, which stops the growth of irregular blood vessels and resolve diabetic macular edema and improve vision.
Early detection and the management of diabetes are essential to preventing harmful symptoms and restoring your ocular health. However, if not treated, the negative side effects may become permanent, including vision loss. To reduce or stop the progression of diabetic retinopathy, it’s imperative to regulate your sugar and attend yearly eye exams.
Diabetic retinopathy FAQ
Treatment is Possible
Diabetic retinopathy is a disease that can severely impact patients who have been diagnosed with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes. Maintaining your blood sugar and scheduling yearly exams are imperative to preventing permenant damage and vision loss caused by the condition.
At Ophthalmology Associates of the Valley in San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, CA, we use innovative procedures, technologies, and techniques to help treat patients with diabetic retinopathy.
If you experience any changes in vision, please contact one of our offices in Encino or West Hills to schedule your yearly eye exam and improve your ocular health.
