Saturday, April 29, 2017

Stages And Treatment Of Diabetic Retinopathy

By Cynthia Gibson


A big number of people around the world are affected by the dangerous disease that is diabetes. A person can live long with the disease if they learn of it at an early stage and decide to maintain sugar levels of their body where recommended by the doctor. They can end up dying on the other hand if they do not manage it properly. Diabetic retinopathy is a condition that develops from having the ailment.

This is a condition that occurs when the retina of the eye gets damaged due to diabetes. The blood vessels of the tissue sensitive to light found at the back of the eye are affected by high blood sugar levels. The effect may be the vessels swelling, leaking or growth of new abnormal ones. All these can lead to permanent loss of sight if not looked into.

Patients in Bethesda, MD experiencing this kind of complication usually go through two stages. It develops slowly, sometimes not showing any symptoms or mild problems with vision, eventually causing blindness. People are thus advised to have regular eye check - ups from trusted specialists so that the problem can be discovered early enough to ensure good treatment.

The first stage that a patient undergoes is known as the non-proliferative stage. This is where very little or no symptoms are shown. Most people at this point only have blurry vision and seeing images that are distorted or darkened. These images also look different in both eyes, main cause of it being blood vessels leaking, making the retina swell. The swelling is known as macular edema.

Macular ischemia also takes place at the first stage. This is the blocking of blood vessels, preventing blood from flowing into macula. Also sometimes, small particles with the name exudates develop in retina. Ophthalmologists use a process known as fundus photography to test and determine the levels of damage done to the eye.

Stage two is known as proliferative stage. It is the most advanced, usually characterized by fragile abnormal blood vessels growing in the retina. This process is called neovascularization. They end up bleeding in the vitreous which may be small bleeding causing a few dark floaters or a lot causing blindness. They also cause scar tissue to form which in turn make the retina detach.

A patient at this advanced level may lose his or her central vision as well as the side one. Doctors in Bethesda, MD use funduscopic exam just like in the first stage to view these characteristics. They then use three major ways of treatment after determining the level of damage done and the effectiveness of the ways are determined by how early the treatments were administered.

The methods include administering laser surgery, vitrectomy and injection of corticosteroids into the eye. Although these treatment methods are proven to work, they do not cure the condition but rather help to manage it and prevent loss of vision. Therefore the best way to fight it is to monitor your diabetes very well and ensure healthy eating and living habits. This will allow timely detecting of problems as they arise.




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