Friday 28 April 2017

Diabetic Retinopathy Stages And Treatment

By Cynthia Gibson


A significant number of persons around the world have in one way or another been affected by diabetes. It has been seen that people suffering from the ailment can live long, as long as they discover it early enough and maintain it well. It is quite deadly however if you do not live right, and maintain blood sugar levels as necessary. A condition diabetic retinopathy arises from having this disease.

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.

Most people hailing from Bethesda, MD with this condition go through two development stages. The problem grows slowly and steadily at some instances not showing any signs and symptoms. Other times the person may experience mild visionary problems which in the long run lead to total blindness. Regular eye check-ups from genuine specialists is therefore a recommended way to discover the problem and start tackling it early enough.

Stage one of this visionary ailment is called non-proliferative. No symptoms to very little can be seen here. A major characteristic of this point is blurry vision as well as distorted or darkened images. There is a possibility of these images looking different in both eyes, usually caused by swelling of the retina due to blood vessels leaking. Macular edema is the name of the swelling process.

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.

The second stage is the most advanced one commonly referred to as proliferative stage. This is characterized by growth of new abnormal blood vessels in the retinal part of the eye. The growth process is called neovascularization. They bleed into the vitreous causing a few dark floaters or excessively to block the entire vision. They also lead to formation of scar tissue that cause retina to detach.

When a patient reaches the proliferative stage he or she might lose both central and side vision. It can also be determined by a funduscopic exam as the first level. Upon diagnosis, there are three major ways that are used by doctors in Bethesda, MD to effectively control the condition and prevent complete loss of vision. The methods of treatment are very effective when administered before the retina is completely damaged.

These treatment ways include use of laser surgery, injecting corticosteroids in the eye and vitrectomy. They are proven to be effective although not as a way of curing blindness caused by diabetes but managing the condition to avoid going blind completely. The most recommended way of going about it therefore is to greatly monitor the diabetes condition adhering to healthy living conditions so as to deal with the condition from the beginning.




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