Diabetic Retinopathy is the eye disease which is caused due to uncontrolled/ prolonged Diabetes in an Individual. It is one of the leading cause of preventable blindness amogst working age group population.

With increase in incidence of Diabetes especially in our country, number of individuals suffering from Eye related disease are also increasing.

Most people with diabetic retinopathy should keep most, if not all vision, providing it is diagnosed early and all steps are taken to keep it under control.

Most people consider sight to be the most precious sense thus it is critical to be aware of the risk of diabetic eye disease and to understand how to prevent its onset. For those who already have diabetic eye disease, there are steps to be taken which can prevent further vision loss due to it.

• It is important to tell your doctor that you are a diabetic and since how long have you had it
• It is essential for an individual with diabetes to have a comprehensive eye examination done atleast once a year
• If you already have diabetic retinopathy, your follow up visits will be as per treating doctor advise.
• The longer you have had diabetes, the more important it is to have regular eye tests, even if the tests have always been clear in the past. This is because the risk of eye disease is strongly related to the duration of diabetes

Early Stages

High blood sugar levels in the body leads to vessel damage in the retina. Once these vessels are damaged, they become leaky and start oozing blood and lipids. Until these stages usually no treatment is required and is called as Non-Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy.

Advanced Stages

Leakage of fluid and blood from these damaged blood vessels and cause retinal swelling. If this swelling occurs in the central part of retina (Diabetic Macular Edema) then vision is affected. The ability to see the detail decreases and can lead to permanent vision impairment if left untreated. With adequate treatment and Diabetes control, edema can be controlled.

Other Blinding stage of the disease is Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy. During this stage of the disease the blood vessels of the retina are occluded and this gives rise to new and abnormal blood vessel proliferation which can bleed and cause Vitreous hemorrhage or even Retinal Detachment in Later stages. If Proliferative Disease is not treated in early stages it can also lead to blindness.

Blood gluconse levels –

Strict blood sugar control reduces the long term risk of vision loss due to Diabetic Retinoathy. HbA1c must be regularly checked.

Physical Activity -

Regular physical activity in the form of aerobic exercises and resistance training are an optimal part of good diabetes management.

Aerobic exercises can include brisk walking, running, swimming and dancing etc. whereas resistance training can include modest weight training which can complement aerobic exercises.

Regular exercise also manages stress and releases tension, both of which are important for a good metabolic control.

Nutrition -

Nutrition is critical to manage blood glucose levels. Healthy eating for diabetes includes selecting high fibre, lower glycemic index (GI) carbohydrate foods and reducing fat, especially saturated fat. Food intake should be balanced with exercise to maintain a healthy body weight.

• Visual Acuity
• Slit lamp Examination
• Indirect Ophthalmoscopy
• OCT
• FFA

EARLY STAGE :

During the early or Non Proliferative stage of Diabetic Retinopathy no treatment is advised for the eye. The patient is advised to have a strict metabolic control along with regular eye checkups.

ADVANCED STAGE

• Diabetic Macular Edema
• Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy
• Vitreous Hemorrhage

Different treatment options are available as suitable for the patient Which can be used as a stand alone procedure or a combination depending upon severity of Diabetic Retinopathy.

These Include.

• Intravitreal ANTI – VEGF injections
• Intravitreal Steroid Injections
• Focal Laser
• Pan Retinal Laser
• Vitreo- Retinal Surgery