Diabetic retinopathy is the retinal changes as the complication due to diabetic mellitus . It is the common cause of severe bilateral visual loss in working age group.
Diabetic Retinopathy
Symptoms
Asymptomatic in early stages
Blurred vision
Fluctuating vision
Dark areas in the vision
Poor night vision
Impaired colour vision
Partial or total loss of vision
Risk factors
Duration of having diabeties
Poor glucose control
Hypertension
Pregnancy
Nephropathy
Others : obesity, smoking, hyperlipidimea
Diagnosis
Visual acuity test
Pupil dilation
Direct or indirect ophthalmoscopy
Fundus fluorescien angiography
Optical coherence tomography
Treatments
Laser Photocoagulation
Laser treatment usually works very well to prevent vision loss if its done before the retina has been severely damaged.
- Focal laser
- Grid laser
- Pan retinal photo coagulation
Intravitreal steriods
Triamicinolone acetonide.
Diabetic retinopathy is preventable through strict glycemic control & annual dilated eye exam by an ophthalmologist.
Intravitreal anti – VEGF therapy
Anti – VEGFmedicines slow the growth of abnormal blood vessels in the retina Eg : lucentis, avastin