What is Diabetic Retinopathy?
July 11, 2024
If you or a loved one has recently been diagnosed with diabetes, your doctor may have told you to get screened for diabetic retinopathy. This eye condition is a common side effect of diabetes, and without treatment, it can cause vision loss.
Early detection and treatment are the best strategies for reducing the risk of vision problems from diabetic retinopathy. Keep reading to learn more about diabetic retinopathy, including what it is and how it's treated!
What is Diabetic Retinopathy?
Diabetic retinopathy is a condition that occurs when excess sugar in the bloodstream damages the tiny blood vessels in the retina. The affected blood vessels can swell and leak fluid into the surrounding tissue.
Vessels may close completely, which prevents blood from circulating properly. Anyone who has diabetes, whether it's type 1, type 2, or gestational, can develop diabetic retinopathy.
Even patients with well-controlled blood sugar levels are at risk for the condition. The longer you have diabetes, the greater the likelihood that you'll show signs of diabetic retinopathy.
The condition can be prevented or delayed by careful blood sugar management. If you develop diabetic retinopathy, it can be treated to reduce the risk of vision loss.
What Are the Stages of Diabetic Retinopathy?
Diabetic retinopathy is a progressive condition. It will get more severe over time without treatment.
There are four main stages of diabetic retinopathy:
Mild Non-Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy
With mild diabetic retinopathy stages, your eye doctor will detect balloon-like swelling in the blood vessels in the retina. These are called microaneurysms.
You won't notice any symptoms or changes to your vision at this stage, but it does signal diabetes damage has occurred. 
Moderate Non-Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy
If diabetic retinopathy progresses past the mild stage, your eye doctor may detect broken blood vessels and blood and fluid leakage into the retina tissue. This fluid can cause a loss of vision.
Severe Non-Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy
Over time, if you cannot adequately control your blood sugar levels, more blood vessels will become damaged or blocked. More fluid will leak into the eye, and vision changes will be apparent.
Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy
The most severe stage of diabetic retinopathy is known as proliferative diabetic retinopathy. At this point, the condition will have caused extensive damage to the eye's blood vessels.
In response, the new blood vessels will grow, but they tend to have abnormal formations. Scar tissue develops due to damaged blood vessels, which can lead to retinal detachment.
In addition, eye pressure can increase, leading to glaucoma and optic nerve damage.
What Are the Symptoms of Diabetic Retinopathy?
In the early stages, diabetic retinopathy doesn't cause any symptoms. The changes can be detected during an eye exam, but they don't cause discomfort or cause changes to your vision.
If the condition progresses to the more severe stages, you may notice vision changes such as:
- Floaters that look like spots or dark strings in your vision
- Blurred vision
- Fluctuating vision
- Dark or blank spots in your vision
- Vision loss
Can You Prevent Diabetic Retinopathy?
The best way to protect your eyes from diabetic retinopathy is to manage your blood sugar levels. Your primary care doctor and endocrinologist can help you with a treatment plan that works best for you.
Everyone with diabetes should get screened for diabetic retinopathy at least once a year. If you have diabetes, your health insurance, including Medicare, will cover annual screenings from an eye doctor.
Your eye doctor can detect the condition with non-invasive, painless tests performed in their office. In most cases, your eye doctor will perform a dilated pupil exam.
Both of these tests allow your eye doctor to look closely at the inner structure of your eye, including the retina. They will be able to see the blood vessels and examine them for signs of blockage or swelling.
If you have mild or moderate diabetic retinopathy, your eye doctor may suggest more frequent screenings. They may also recommend that you talk to your diabetes care team about changes to your diet or medication in order to better control blood sugar levels.
If you have more severe diabetic retinopathy, you may need additional treatment, such as:
Medication: One treatment option is injections of anti-VEGF drugs or corticosteroids. These can slow down or reverse diabetic retinopathy.
Laser treatment: Your eye doctor can use lasers to shrink swollen blood vessels, reduce leakage, and prevent an increase in eye pressure.
Surgery: If you have significant retinal bleeding or scarring from diabetic retinopathy-related damage, you may require surgery. Your eye doctor may recommend a procedure called a vitrectomy that can remove excess blood and scar tissue from inside the eye.
If you have diabetes, you should make sure to have regular appointments with your eye doctor. Regular eye exams that include retinal screening can detect signs of diabetic retinopathy before it can affect your vision.
That allows you and your care team to adjust your diabetes treatment and reduce the risk of vision loss.
Are you due for a diabetic retinopathy screening? Schedule an appointment at the Center for Total Eye Care in Westminster or Eldersburg, MD, today!