Risk Increases With Duration

The longer an individual has lived with diabetes the possibility for diabetic retinopathy increases. Each year millions of Americans deal with the vision loss and further eye problems connected with having diabetes.

Ninety percent of diabetics have type 2.  Since type 2 diabetes has very few signs, countless type 2 diabetics are not diagnosed for long periods of time. Twenty percent will have a bit of retinopathy when diagnosed and sixty-eight percent will have some after fifteen years.

Proper Care Is Critical

Having annual eye exams is the key to managing diabetic eye changes. The eye is the sole place in the body that the blood vessels both small and medium can show the doctors the affects of diabetes without the use of surgery. Therefore a dilated eye exam permits an eye specialist to see what is occurring within the eye’s blood vessels and it gives them a look at an individual’s health in general. Diabetes care requires a team of physicians to manage it like a PCP as well as diabetes experts such as neurologists and nephrologists.

These small blood vessels lose their tight seals and start to leak blood because of diabetes. Fresh blood vessels might sprout to attempt to feed tissues that are starved for nutrients. Nonetheless, they cause more harm than good because the new vessels are leaky.  A diabetic’s blood vessels tend to leak VEGF (Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor) which stimulates the increase of abnormal leaky vessels, this is neovascularization.

The greatest reason for a diabetic’s vision loss is because of Diabetic Macular Edema also known as Clinically Significant Macular Edema. In DME fluid accumulates beneath the macula, the portion of our retina responsible for our finest vision. The fluid accumulation causes swelling of the macula and this causes vision loss.

Using Laser Treatment for Diabetic Retinopathy

All laser treatments are meant to save the remaining vision. The objective is to stabilize the loss and stop further progression.

The customary technique for the diabetic retinopathy treatment is laser photocoagulation. A laser is utilized to destroy the portions of the retina that are injured and leaking fluid and blood. The concept is to kill enough retina so that the main parts, specifically the macula can still get the blood supply it requires without leaking. Sparing the macula comes with a cost. The peripheral retina is demolished and some side vision is gone.

Photocoagulation comes in two common forms:

Grid or focal laser photocoagulation

In this kind of laser treatment slight, well targeted shots are designed to destroy individual blood vessels in a well confined pattern. This is usually used to treat DME.

The Panretinal or (scatter) laser photocoagulation

The laser is utilized to make 100s up to almost two thousand burns of the peripheral retina. Scatter laser treatment is utilized for individuals who have proliferative diabetic retinopathy because it indirectly aids neovascularization areas.

Fluorescein angiography is regularly used to assist in visualizing blood vessel leakage areas and to help guide treatment.

Description of Panretinal Photocoagulation


Occasionally the bleeding will get inside the vitreous humor and occasionally does not go away even once the retina’s underlying bleeding has been treated. Your physician might realize he or she needs to remove the vitreous humor.

In several cases the blood is so broad that it obstructs the view of the retina for the physician and their capability to execute laser on the retina. The physician will remove the vitreous and will either do laser treatments while inside the eye or soon afterwards using a dilated pupil.

Blood in the vitreous may additionally cause fibrotic bands of scar tissue to form and constrict, resulting in the vitreous to pull on the retina and possibly ending in a tractional retinal detachment.

Vitrectomy Surgery

Non-Laser Treatments

One of the other chief choices of treatment for diabetic retinopathy without the use of a laser is to use steroid injections. They are either inoculated as a solution or as a small biologically safe piece in the form of an insert that slowly releases the steroid over time.

Triamcinolone acetonide is the most commonly injected form of steroid. It works by decreasing inflammation and to lessen DME and stop the formation of new leaky vessels.

There are some other intravitreal steroid inserts that are utilized off-label for the treatment of DME.

The risks with these inserts are much the same as with any other intraocular steroids.  These include, rise in intraocular pressure, cataract formation and endophthalmitis.

Other Common Treatments

Numerous physicians will utilize off-label Anti-VEGF drops to treat proliferative diabetic retinopathy.  Anti-VEGF drugs are accepted for use in handling wet macular degeneration. Ophthalmologists have discovered that the Anti-VEGF drugs work well for the treatment of diabetic eye disease too because the vessels that form with diabetic eye conditions are leaky and cause harm.

Drugs like Marcugen, Avastin, and Lucentis are inserted into the vitreous cavity about once a month or one time every 2 months for macular degeneration but less predictable is diabetic retinopathy and with treatment and blood sugar management the symptoms can improve. Based on this injections might be needed less often when treating diabetes. These drugs have shown potential for treating DME too.