Diabetic Retinopathy Risk Factors, Symptoms and Treatment

Diabetic retinopathy is retinopathy (damage to the retina) caused by complications of diabetes, which can eventually lead to blindness.

Diabetic retinopathy is a condition occurring in persons with diabetes, which causes progressive damage to the retina, the light sensitive lining at the back of the eye. It is a serious sight-threatening complication of diabetes.

Risk factors for diabetic retinopathy, include:

• Diabetes—people with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes are at risk for the development of diabetic retinopathy. The longer a person has diabetes, the more likely they are to develop diabetic retinopathy, particularly if the diabetes is poorly controlled.
• Race—Hispanic and African Americans are at greater risk for developing diabetic retinopathy.
• Medical conditions—persons with other medical conditions such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol are at greater risk.
• Pregnancy—pregnant women face a higher risk for developing diabetes and diabetic retinopathy. If gestational diabetes develops, the patient is at much higher risk of developing diabetes as they age.

Symptoms of diabetic retinopathy

During the initial stages, retinopathy does not cause any noticeable symptoms. You may not realise that your retina is damaged until the later stages, when your vision becomes affected.

Possible symptoms of late-stage retinopathy include:

• shapes floating in your field of vision (floaters)
• blurred vision
• sudden blindness

Treatment of diabetic retinopathy 

Treatment of diabetic retinopathy varies depending on the extent of the disease. It may require laser surgery to seal leaking blood vessels or to discourage new leaky blood vessels from forming. Injections of medications into the eye may be needed to decrease inflammation or stop the formation of new blood vessels. In more advanced cases, a surgical procedure to remove and replace the gel-like fluid in the back of the eye, called the vitreous, may be needed. A retinal detachment, defined as a separation of the light-receiving lining in the back of the eye, resulting from diabetic retinopathy, may also require surgical repair.