Regular Eye Check Up
Which Diabetic eye disease do most people get?
Diabetic Retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness in people with diabetes.
Chronically high blood sugar from diabetes is associated with damage to the tiny blood vessels in the
retina, leading to diabetic retinopathy.
Diabetic retinopathy
through four stages:
may
progress
1. Mild nonproliferative retinopathy.
Small areas of balloon-like swelling in the retina’s tiny
blood vessels, called microaneurysms, occur at this
earliest stage of the disease. These microaneurysms
may leak fluid into the retina.
2. Moderate nonproliferative retinopathy.
As the disease progresses, blood vessels that nourish
the retina may swell and distort. They may also lose
their ability to transport blood. Both conditions cause
characteristic changes to the appearance of the retina
and may contribute to DME.
3. Severe nonproliferative retinopathy.
Many more blood vessels are blocked, depriving blood
supply to areas of the retina. These areas secrete
growth factors that signal the retina to grow new
blood vessels.
4. Proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR).
At this advanced stage, growth factors secreted by the
retina trigger the proliferation of new blood vessels,
which grow along the inside surface of the retina and
into the vitreous gel, the fluid that fills the eye. The
new blood vessels are fragile, which makes them more
likely to leak and bleed. Accompanying scar tissue can
contract and cause retinal detachment—the pulling
away of the retina from underlying tissue, like
wallpaper peeling can lead to permanent vision loss.
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