-
What is diabetes mellitus?
Diabetes mellitus is a condition in which the pancreas, a gland in the abdomen, produces insufficient quantities of a hormone called insulin. Due to a deficiency of insulin, the body is unable to control the levels of sugar in the blood. Diabetes can affect the eye in several ways. Diabetic patients have a higher likelihood of developing cataract, glaucoma and damage to the retina.
-
What is diabetic retinopathy?
Diabetic retinopathy is an eye problem which can lead to blindness. It affects people with uncontrolled sugar levels.
-
What are the symptoms?
Symptoms:
- Blurred vision
- Dark or floating spots
- Trouble seeing things that are at the center of your focus when reading or driving
- Trouble telling colors apart
-
How is it diagnosed?
- Dilated eye examination — The pupil is dilated with eye drops. Retina is then examined as Retina is the part of the eye that is damaged in Diabetes.
- Digital retinal imaging — for this test, a technician takes pictures of the eye with a special camera. Then he or she sends the pictures to an Ophthalmologist doctor, who checks for abnormalities.
-
What is the treatment?
Diabetic retinopathy cannot always be treated. But people with mild condition do need to keep their blood sugar and blood pressure levels as close to normal as possible. This helps keep the condition from getting worse besides the following treatment can help:
- Photocoagulation — This is a laser surgery to seal or destroy leaking or growing blood vessels in the retina.
- Vitrectomy — This is a surgery to remove blood from the part of the eye called the “vitreous humor”. This surgery is done if the blood vessels in the retina leak into the vitreous humor.
