Diabetic  Retinopathy

 

 

 

Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness among all American adults.  Diabetes can cause the blood vessels of the retina to weaken and leak fluid into surrounding retinal tissue.  Diabetes can also cause new blood vessels to grow in the retina which then break and also lead to swelling of the surrounding retinal tissue.  Diabetic retinopathy is painless and often has no early warning signs.  If swelling of the macular area inside the eye occurs, it can lead to blurry vision which may fluctuate throughout the course of the day.  Broken blood vessels can also cause dark floating spots to appear in a person’s visual field.  The floating spots are specks of blood from the ruptured vessel(s).  

 

Diabetic retinopathy affects up to 80% of all patients who have had diabetes for 10 years or more.  Despite this high rate of prevalence, research indicates that up to 90% of these cases could be reduced if there was regular monitoring of the eyes and appropriate treatment.