Diabetic Retinopathy
What is diabetic retiniopathy?
DR is a disease of the retina seen in diabetic patients who are suffering from the disease for more than 5 years duration and have uncontrolled blood sugar levels
How does diabetes effect my Retina?
Diabetes makes small blood vessels in the retina dysfunctional leading to leakage of blood and other contents and development of new unwanted weak blood vessels which effect our vision by blocking our retina which is vital in our visual function.
How do I Know I have DR?
There would be decrease and distorted vision,the sad part is by the time you realize you have DR your retina has already undergone a considerable amount of irreversible damage.
How can we prevent this?
This can easily be prevented by undergoing regular dilated retinal examinations as suggested by your doctor and keeping blood sugar levels under control
What if DR changes are observed by your doctor during the screening?
This is good thing that the changes are noticed early in course of the disease vision is not affected and depending upon the severity of changes the doctor may advise simple follow-up and blood sugar control or a laser therapy if he it may arrest further progression to a certain extent.
How do you treat DR?
Treatment for DR can be done through Laser or Intravitreal injections(injections given directly into the eye)
Why is regular screening so important in DR?
All the changes that take place in the retina due to diabetes are usually irreversible so vision loss can be permanent if we are ignorant or negligent about it.