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Diabetic Retinopathy
Diabetic retinopathy can occur in anyone who has Type I, Type II, or gestational diabetes and is responsible for a large percentage of adult-onset blindness. Retinopathy causes severed damage to the eye's retina, as blood vessels become blocked and damaged in each successive step of the disease.
The first stage of diabetic retinopathy is called non-proliferative retinopathy, which may or may not affect your vision. During this stage of the disease, portions of the retina's blood cells weaken and bulge outward. Some of these capillaries will become blocked and unable to deliver nourishment to the retina. If too many capillaries get blocked, the body will try to compensate by growing new blood vessels. These new vessels, however, tend to be fragile.
Proliferative retinopathy is the name given to the next stage of the disease and occurs when the fragile new blood vessels break and leak fluid and blood into the eye. This fluid can cause vision to become cloudy.
At any point during the progression of diabetic retinopathy, the macula may be moved out of position by retina swelling. If this occurs.
Diabetic Retinopathy Treatments
The best way to slow the progression of diabetic retinopathy is to work with your doctor to control your blood sugar levels. If, however, your condition has developed into proliferative retinopathy, laser treatment similar to those used for macular degeneration can be helpful. Your Arizona surgeon will use a laser to cauterize the new blood vessels, slowing or even halting the flow of blood into the eye.
If a great deal of fluid has already entered the eye, a vitrectomy may be helpful in restoring your sight. During this procedure, the doctor will remove the gelatinous matter inside your eye and replace it with clean saline solution. This surgery has an excellent rate of success and allows insulin-dependent patients to recover a great deal of their visual acuity.
Retina conditions such as diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration should not keep you from enjoying life. At the Arizona practice of Barnet Dulaney Perkins Eye Center, our surgeons combine the use of medication, laser technology, and traditional surgery to preserve your sight and your active lifestyle.
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