Diabetic Retinopathy

Diabetic Retinopathy

If you have diabetes, your body does not use and store sugar properly. Diabetes can cause high blood-sugar levels, excessive thirst and urination. It can also cause changes in the body's blood vessels, the veins and arteries that carry blood throughout your body.

Because diabetes affects your body in these ways, it can affect vision by causing Cataracts, Glaucoma and most importantly, damage to blood vessels inside the eye.

What is Diabetic Retinopathy?

Diabetic Retinopathy is a complication of diabetes that is caused by changes in the blood vessels of the eye. The retina is a nerve layer at the back of the eye that senses light and helps to send images to your brain.

When blood vessels in the retina are damaged, they may leak fluid or blood, and grow fragile, brush-like branches and scar tissue. This can blur or distort the images that the retina sends to the brain.

Diabetic Retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness among adults. People with untreated diabetes are said to be 25 times more at risk for blindness than the general population.

Diabetes damages blood vessels in the retina, and can cause then to leak or grow abnormally.

If you have diabetes, it's important to know that today, with improved methods of diagnosis and treatment, only a small percentage of people who develop retinopathy have serious vision problems.

Vision loss is largely preventable

If you have questions or would like further information, contact our office for an appointment with our Retinal Specialist Dr. Sandeep Asher.