What to Do when Your Diabetes Attacks the Retina in Your Eye

All of us know that diabetes is a condition which does not allow the body to use and store sugar effectively. And it attacks different parts of the eye including the all-important retina. The retina is that part of the eye where light filtering through the outer lens of the eye gets focussed. The focussed images are then carried to the brain by the optic nerve.

When diabetes is not controlled, its effect on the eye is extremely unpredictable. Many diabetics do not show any symptoms of the disease in the eye as a whole. But it is seen that in many cases the disease progresses so rapidly that massive bleeding, scarring and even detachment of the retina has taken place before anything worthwhile could be done. It is alarming that that diabetic retinopathy accounts for nearly 10 to 12% of new blindness cases every year. It is the most common cause for blindness in people of 45 - 75 years age group especially in India.

As the time period of diabetes increases, so does the increase of retinopathy. There is still no way by which it cannot be allowed to proliferate. So more emphasis is placed on the treating the vision threatening complications. Studies have shown that diabetic patients are more prone to blindness than do non-diabetics. When diabetes attacks during childhood it is termed as juvenile diabetes. Juvenile diabetics are more to diabetic retinopathy at a very early age.

TYPES OF DIABETIC RETINOPATHY

There are two forms of Diabetic Retinopathy

BACKGROUND DIABETIC RETINOPATHY (BDR)

BDR: This is considered as early stage of diabetic retinopathy. Fortunately the eyesight is not severely affected. But if the macula ( central part of the retina) is affected, the patients would normally experience slight blurring of the vision. Even reading may become blurred. BDR is a warning signal and can quickly progress to more serious stage threatening the sight.

PROLIFERATIVE DIABETIC RETINOPATHY (PDR)