Diabetic Retinopathy (Eye Damage)

Diabetic retinopathy is a vision-threatening complication of diabetes mellitus that is marked by changes in the blood vessels in the retina, the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye. These changes occur over time due to high blood sugar levels,... Full Answer

Your physician will study your eye with an ophthalmoscope during a dilated eye examination. Adults over 30 who have diabetes should have a dilated eye exam once a year after first diagnosis. People who are diagnosed with diabetes before the age of 30,... Full Answer

If nonproliferative retinopathy has led to macular edema (swelling of the retina), laser photocoagulation, a type of surgery that uses an intense beam of light,  is used to burn and seal the leaking blood vessels and decrease tissue swelling,... Full Answer

Diabetic retinopathy, the leading cause of blindness in American adults, is caused by damage to the eyes' blood vessels. High blood sugar levels and high blood pressure associated with diabetes can cause the tiny blood vessels of the eyes to... Full Answer

There are various treatments for diabetic retinopathy, depending on the stage of the condition: Laser photocoagulation - Used to treat nonproliferative retinopathy that has led to macular edema. A laser is used to seal the leaking blood vessels, which... Full Answer

Tight blood glucose control significantly reduces the risk of developing diabetic retinopathy and may prevent its progression. High blood pressure and high blood lipids should be controlled by lifestyle measures or, when necessary, physician prescribed... Full Answer

People with diabetic retinopathy often don't show any symptoms until macular edema (swelling in part of the retina) or a vitreous hemorrhage (blood in the eye) occurs. When symptoms do occur, they include: Blurred central vision (due to macular edema)... Full Answer

High blood sugar, if uncontrolled and continuing over several years, can cause the walls of the small blood vessels (capillaries) in the retina of the eye to thicken and scar and to become weakened and form small outpouchings (microaneurysms) that can... Full Answer

Changes to the eye caused by diabetes are collectively known as diabetic retinopathy. Diabetes affects the eye in two ways: The changing blood sugar levels affect the lens of the eye and blood vessels in the retina Changes in the lens cause vision to... Full Answer

If you have diabetes mellitus, your body does not use and store sugar properly. High blood sugar levels can damage blood vessels in the retina, the nerve layer at the back of the eye that senses light and helps to send images to the brain. The damage to... Full Answer