Kadrmas Eye Care New England
  • Doctors
    • Eddie Kadrmas, MD
    • Richard Strecker, MD
    • Daniel J. Townsend, MD
    • Aimee Gray, OD
    • Ashley Sousa, OD
  • Patients
    • CV-19 Statement
    • Eye Conditions >
      • Cataracts
      • Common Eye Problems >
        • Allergies
        • Amblyopia
        • Astigmatism
        • Blepharitis
        • Chalazion / Stye
        • Conjunctivitis
        • Corneal Abrasion
        • Floaters & Flashes
        • Hyperopia / Farsightedness
        • Myopia / Nearsightedness
        • Presbyopia
        • Strabismus
      • Corneal Diseases & Disorders >
        • Corneal Ulcers
        • Fuchs’ Dystrophy
        • Herpes Zoster / Shingles
        • Keratitis
        • Keratoconus
        • Pterygium
      • Diabetic Eye Disease
      • Dry Eye Syndrome
      • Eyelid Diseases & Disorders >
        • Dermatochalasis
        • Ectropion
        • Entropion
        • Eyelid Lesion
        • Ptosis
        • Tear Duct Obstruction
        • Tumor
      • Eye Trauma / Injury >
        • Blunt Trauma
        • Chemical Injury
        • Penetrating / Perforating Injury
      • Glaucoma >
        • Open Angle Glaucoma >
          • iStent
        • Narrow Angle Glaucoma
        • Neovascular Glaucoma
        • Inflammatory Glaucoma
      • Macular Diseases & Disorders >
        • Macular Degeneration
        • Macular Hole
        • Macular Pucker
      • Neurological Eye Diseases >
        • Blepharospasm
        • Double Vision
        • Ischemic Optic Neuropathy
        • Stroke / Visual Field Defect
        • Temporal Arteritis
      • Retinal Diseases & Disorders >
        • Retinal Tears & Detachments
        • Retinal Vascular Diseases
      • Uveitis & Iritis
    • Resources >
      • Eye Health & Care Blog
      • Retina Digest
    • Videos >
      • Eye Anatomy
      • Cataract
      • Laser Cataract Surgery
      • Children's Vision
      • Common Eye Problems
      • Corneal Conditions
      • Diabetic Eye Disease
      • Dry Eye Syndrome
      • Glaucoma
      • Laser & Refractive Eye Surgery
      • LASIK Over 45
      • LASIK Under 45
      • Macular Degeneration
      • Plastic Eye Surgery
      • Retinal Conditions
      • Refractive Errors
      • Routine Eye Exams
    • Forms & Policies >
      • New Patient Forms
      • HIPAA Policy
      • Referral Forms
    • Financial Information
  • Services
    • Routine Eye Exams >
      • Children
      • Adults
    • Hearing Therapy
    • Specialized Eye Exams >
      • Dilated Eye Exam / Slit Lamp Examination
      • Fluorescein Angiogram
      • Indocyanine Green Angiogram
      • Nerve Fiber Analysis
      • Optical Coherence Tomography
      • Refraction
      • Tonometry
      • Visual Acuity Testing
      • Visual Field Testing
    • Medical, Injection & Surgical / Laser Eye Care
    • Contact Lenses >
      • Contact Lens Types
      • Contact Lens Care & Safety
    • Refractive Eye Surgery >
      • LASIK Eye Surgery
      • PRK
      • Clear Lens Extraction
      • Implantable Collamer Lenses
    • Oculoplastic Surgery & Cosmetic Procedures >
      • Blepharoplasty
      • BOTOX®
      • Restylane®
  • Locations
    • Plymouth
    • Wareham
    • Mashpee
    • Surgery Centers
  • About
    • News
    • Affiliations
    • Patient Reviews
  • Careers
  • Contact
To Schedule Your Eye Appointment, Please Call 1-508-746-8600

Patient Resources - Eye Health & Care Blog

An overview of Diabetic Retinopathy | Diabetic Eye Disease Month

11/1/2021

 
Picture
November is Diabetic Eye Disease Month. We know that having diabetes increases your risk of health problems, such as eye diseases, including diabetic retinopathy. Learning more about these complications and how to manage them can help save your vision. 

What is diabetic retinopathy? 

Diabetic retinopathy is an eye disease that affects the blood vessels in the retina. The disease is broken into different stages. In the earliest stage, the blood vessels swell, but symptoms may not yet develop. 

As the condition progresses, some of the retinal blood vessels become blocked. As the vessels become blocked, new abnormal vessels may form, but the new vessels do not supply the retina with nutrients and oxygen the same as normal vessels. Instead, they may leak fluid, which leads to swelling of the macula and interferes with vision.

When diabetic retinopathy becomes severe, the abnormal vessels may cause bleeding into the center of the eyes. If the condition is not treated, it can lead to a decrease in eyesight. 
​

Who gets diabetic retinopathy? 

Anyone that has either type 1 or type 2 diabetes can develop diabetic retinopathy, but certain people may have an increased risk. For example, the longer you have diabetes, the higher your risk of developing diabetic retinopathy. If you have hypertension, it also increases your risk. But the biggest risk factor is uncontrolled blood sugar levels. If your diabetes is not well managed, and blood sugar levels keep spiking, it may eventually affect the retina. 

How does diabetic retinopathy develop?

Diabetes can cause blood sugar levels in your body to increase too high. Over time, if blood sugar is too high, it can lead to damage to the organs, including the retina. The increased sugar levels can cause blockage to the small blood vessels in the retina leading to damage. That damage to the retina causes new blood vessels to develop that do not work properly.

Symptoms of diabetic retinopathy typically become worse over time. In the early stages, symptoms may be mild and come and go. Typical symptoms include trouble reading or seeing objects that are far away. Many people attribute these changes to aging and do not seek treatment.

As the disease progresses, symptoms may get worse.  Symptoms may include the following:
  • Blurred vision
  • Poor night vision
  • Seeing colors faded
  • Eye floaters
  • Flashes of light or black spots 
​

Treatment 

Treatment for diabetic retinopathy depends on the stage of disease present. In the early stages, treatment may include careful monitoring to make sure changes to the eye have not started. Additional treatment options include the following:

Injections: Medications, such as anti-VEGF drugs may slow the progression of diabetic retinopathy. The medications help decrease the growth of new blood vessels.

Laser treatment: Laser procedures may help reduce swelling in the retina and stop the blood vessels from leaking.

Surgery: Surgery may be recommended if the retina is bleeding or scar tissue has developed. 
​

Prevention  

The best way to prevent diabetic retinopathy is to manage diabetes. If you have diabetes, it is essential to keep blood sugar levels steady and prevent big spikes. Careful monitoring of blood sugar levels is needed.

Work with your doctor to develop a treatment plan. For example, follow your doctor’s recommendations for taking your insulin or other medication. Healthy lifestyle choices, such as exercise and eating well, can make a big difference in managing diabetes.

It is also critical to have regular eye exams to monitor changes in your vision. Treating diabetic retinopathy as soon as possible may help prevent vision loss.

If you have any questions about keeping your eyes healthy with diabetes or if you would like to ask whether an appointment with one of our eye doctors would be appropriate at this time, call our office at 508-746-8600. 


Comments are closed.

    EYE HEALTH BLOG


    CLICK HERE to sign up for our eye health / care newsletter and have it delivered automatically to your inbox each month!

    Categories

    All
    AMD
    Astigmatism
    Cataract
    Children's Eye Health
    Color Blindness
    Conjunctivitis
    Contact Lens
    Cornea
    Cosmetic Eye Surgery
    Covid 19
    Diabetic Eye Disease
    Driving
    Dry Eyes
    Eye Allergies
    Eye Cancer
    Eye Exam
    Eye Health & Safety
    Eye Infections
    Eye Strain
    Glaucoma
    Injuries
    Low Vision
    Lupus
    Macula
    Myasthenia Gravis
    Organ Donation
    Retina
    Retinopathy
    Scleritis
    Senior Eye Health
    Sports
    Stroke
    Stye
    Uvea
    Vision Correction
    Vision Loss
    Women's Eye Health

    RSS Feed


    Picture

Kadrmas Eye Care New England

55 Commerce Way, Plymouth, MA 02360
14 Tobey Road, Wareham, MA 02571
133 Falmouth Road (Rt 28), Mashpee, MA 02649
Phone Number:
​1-508-746-8600

Hours:
Monday through Friday - 
8 AM - 4:30 PM 
© 2015-2021 Kadrmas Eye Care New England • All Rights Reserved
KadrmasEyeCare.com Privacy Policy • Disclaimer of Medical Liability
Proudly powered by Weebly
Design by DivTag Templates