Diabetic eye disease
Diabetic eye disease refers to a group of conditions that can occur in people with diabetes, potentially causing vision loss and blindness. These conditions include:
- diabetic retinopathy 鈥� a complication of high blood sugar levels that causes damage to the fine blood vessels in the retina (light sensitive nerve tissue at the back of the eye)
- diabetic macular oedema 鈥� abuild-up of fluid at the macula (the specialised central portion of the retina)
- cataracts 鈥� clouding of the lens (this helps to focus light onto the retina)
Keep reading to find out more about the causes, symptoms and diagnosis of diabetic eye disease, and learn about the available treatment options.
Diabetic eye disease symptoms
Diabetic eye disease can cause a range of symptoms and ultimately lead to vision loss and blindness. The exact symptoms you may experience, however, will depend on the specific condition you鈥檙e diagnosed with.
Diabetic retinopathy
Diabetic retinopathy has several stages. During the mild stages, you might not experience any symptoms. As the condition progresses, you may develop:
- blurred vision
- fluctuating vision
- loss of vision
- spots or dark strings floating in your vision
Diabetic macular oedema
Similarly to diabetic retinopathy, during the early stages of diabetic macular oedema, you may not notice any symptoms at all. However, if the condition worsens, you may experience:
- blurred vision
- dark spots in your vision
- faded colour vision
- sensitivity to bright light or glare
- difficulty reading
- visual distortions (straight lines, such as door frames, may appear distorted or bent)
Cataracts
When cataracts are mild, you may not notice them. More symptoms tend to develop as the cataract progresses, including:
- cloudy or blurry vision
- seeing double in one eye
- seeing halos around lights
- sensitivity to bright lights and glare
- colours seem altered
Diabetic eye disease diagnosis
Diabetic eye disease is diagnosed through a comprehensive dilated eye examination.
During the exam, your doctor will consider:
- your medical history 鈥� to assess your overall health, any eye symptoms you鈥檙e experiencing, and when they began
- your visual acuity 鈥� to measure how well each eye is seeing
- your eye health 鈥� by undertaking a full examination of all the structures of your eye and the surrounding tissue
Find out more about diagnostic tests at AOA体育平台 Eye Centre here.
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Diabetic eye disease treatments
In the early stages of diabetic eye disease, managing your diabetes and keeping your blood glucose levels in range can help manage your condition.
Your diabetes care team should be able to support you in this by recommending lifestyle changes and drug therapy as needed. They may also suggest ways to help you control your blood pressure and blood cholesterol.
However, if abnormal blood vessels start to develop in the retina, or there is a risk of bleeding, you may need laser treatment, injections or even surgery.
- intravitreal injections, or anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) therapy, or steroid treatments are used to treat vision loss due to diabetic macular oedema
- laser treatment can be used to control diabetic macular oedema, or to stabilise new blood vessels that develop as a result of diabetic retinopathy
- vitrectomy (vitreo-retinal) surgery may be recommended if diabetic retinopathy can progress to a more advanced degree of diabetic retinopathy. This surgery is utilised for many reasons, including clearance of persistent blood in the vitreous gel, treating scarring and detachment of the retina or undertaking laser if not possible by other means
- cataract surgery might be suggested if you have cataracts that are interfering with vision. This surgery removes the cloudy lens in your eye and replaces it with an artificial lens to improve your vision. The decision for cataract surgery in diabetic patients needs careful discussion and monitoring for potential complications
You can find out more about diabetic eye disease treatments here.