Dr. Ahmad Shahzad
Founder | Lyallpur Diabetes Foundation
Consultant Diabetologist | Educator | Advocate for Preventive Care
One of the most prevalent complications of diabetes and the major cause of vision loss in the globe is diabetic retinopathy. It arises when excess sugar harms the tiny blood vessels in the retina and it slowly impairs the vision. The fact that sight impairment in diabetic retinopathy may be averted in most cases through management of diabetes, eye checkups, and healthy lifestyle is good news. In this article, we’ll explore effective strategies for preventing vision loss from diabetic retinopathy and protecting long-term eye health.
Understanding Diabetic Retinopathy
Diabetic retinopathy is a disease of the eye that is caused by diabetes and is caused by the destruction of blood vessels in the retina. It is a major cause of blindness in adults and may occur in all those with Type 1, Type 2 or gestational diabetes.
Why Prevention is Crucial
Disease is important in preventing diabetic retinopathy, which is asymptomatic at its onset and causes permanent loss of vision when not treated. Protect your sight by detecting diabetes early and managing its risk factors proactively.
Benefits of prevention
- Avoids permanent vision loss: Treatments could delay the development of advanced diabetic retinopathy, but not permanent damage already inflicted. The early case of identification can be treated before it is too late to cause serious damage to your eyes. As a matter of fact, 90 percent of eye diabetes can be avoided at an early age with proper treatment.
- Improves treatment outcomes: In the case of eye problems, early diagnosis can be treated with less aggressive methods, which can eventually help to avoid more radical treatment of eye surgery in the future.
- Reduces healthcare costs: Early prevention of diabetic eye complications is much cheaper and easier than treating mature disease.
- Enhances quality of life: Good vision enables one to stay independent and well in general. By avoiding vision loss, you are capable of living your day to day life without restrictions.
Key Strategies for Preventing Vision Loss
- Regulate blood sugar: Maintaining blood sugar at a target level is the best thing you can do to prevent or delay diabetic retinopathy.
- Manage blood pressure and cholesterol: High blood pressure and high cholesterol may speed up the damage of your eyes. Having them checked keeps the fine blood vessels of your retina safe.
- Regular eye checkouts: Annual comprehensive and dilated eye tests are necessary since in most cases diabetic retinopathy at an early stage no symptoms are visible. Your eye doctor would be able to notice the change and act before vision is impaired.
- Live a healthy lifestyle: A healthy eating pattern and physical activity are some of the ways to manage your blood sugar levels and enhance your health condition, including vision.
- Stop smoking: Smoking exposes one to complications of diabetes and eye problems. By giving up, you can have better health and decrease your risk.
Treatment Options if Retinopathy Develops
In the event of diabetic retinopathy, a few methods of treatment are possible, based on the severity and type of complications involved. Treatments can halt or delay the disease in most instances and can even prevent degraded vision.
Injections (Intravitreal)
Diabetic macular edema (DME) is a common complication of retinopathy whose most common and usual treatment is injections of medicine directly into the eye (intravitreal injections).
- Anti-VEGF drugs: The medications inhibit a protein known as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which stimulates the unnatural development and permeability of blood vessels. Injections of anti-VEGF diminish the swelling and allow new vulnerable vessels to develop. They are Aflibercept (Eylea) and Ranibizumab (Lucentis).
- Corticosteroids: Steroid injections are also applicable to alleviate inflammation and macular swelling. They are commonly used when the anti-VEGF injections fail.
Laser treatments
Laser treatments are used to target specific problems in the retina caused by diabetic retinopathy.
- Focal/Grid Laser Photocoagulation: This is a laser therapy to treat DME by closing leaking blood vessels in a localized area. It is used to swell and stabilize vision.
- Panretinal Photocoagulation (PRP): PRP is applied in more severe, proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) to shrink and destroy the new, abnormal blood vessels. Laser is used on the outerretina, not the macula, to prevent VEGF production.
Surgery (Vitrectomy)
For the most advanced cases of diabetic retinopathy, surgery may be necessary.
- Vitrectomy: A surgeon in this process removes the vitreous gel in the middle of the eye. This is required when the bleeding in the vitreous is severe (vitreous hemorrhage) or when the scar tissue of abnormal new blood vessels is pulling the retina (tractional retinal detachment).
Underlying diabetes management
The management of the underlying diabetes is important in the slowing down of diabetic retinopathy despite the treatments. This involves close control of blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol and may be in partnership with your primary care physician and other specialists.
Should you have special questions regarding the treatment of diabetic retinopathy or desire to learn what may be advised at your current phase of the disease, it is always best to have a specialist in the field of retina consult you. To assist, I can locate information on the preparation of a visit to an ophthalmologist or research local specialists on the retina.
You may also like to read: Importance of Eye Exams in Diabetes Management
Final Thoughts
The prevention of diabetic retinopathy vision loss begins with prophylactic care and proper management of diabetes. The risk of severe eye damage can be minimized by maintaining a normal level of blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol, frequent eye check-ups, and healthy lifestyle patterns. The most important thing is to act at the earliest stage and be treated in time not only to save your sight, but your life.
FAQs
Q: Can diabetic retinopathy go away?
A: While treatment can slow or stop the worsening of diabetic retinopathy, it’s not a cure. Because diabetes is a lifelong health problem, future retinal damage and vision loss are still possible. Even after treatment for diabetic retinopathy, you’ll need regular eye exams.
Q: Can you drive with diabetic retinopathy?
A: Dark or shadowy spots in your vision: when Diabetic Retinopathy makes the field of vision blurred or dark, the number of points lost in your vision is high. In case you have over three adjacent points missing and your retinopathy is not stable yet, then it is possible that you should not drive.
Q: What worsens diabetic retinopathy?
A: Inadequate diabetes management, which fails to keep blood sugar levels within a healthy range, can increase the rate of progression. Obesity can also be a risk factor for diabetic retinopathy progression.
Q: How do you stop diabetic retinopathy from progressing?
A: Lifestyle changes are also important in the management of the condition in both cases. Diet, exercise, and medication can help maintain blood sugar levels within the target range and avoid additional harm to the eyes and delay the evolution of diabetic retinopathy.