diabetic retinopathy faq Diabetic Retinopathy FAQ Diabetic retinopathy causes damage to the blood vessels in the retina. What is the most common diabetic eye disease? Diabetic retinopathy.  This eye disease is a leading cause of blindness in American adults.  It is caused by changes in the blood vessels of the retina.  In some people with diabetic retinopathy, retinal blood vessels may swell and leak fluid.  In other people, abnormal new blood vessels grow on the surface of the retina.  These changes may result in vision loss or blindness. Who is most likely to get diabetic retinopathy? Anyone with diabetes.  The longer someone has diabetes, the more likely they will get diabetic retinopathy.  Nearly half of all people with diabetes will develop some degree of diabetic retinopathy during their lifetime. What are the symptoms of diabetic retinopathy? There are few to no symptoms in the early stages of the disease.  Vision symptoms may not change until the disease becomes severe.  There may or may not be any pain. Blurred vision may occur when the macula, which is the part of the retina that provides sharp, central vision, swells up from the leaking fluid.  This condition is called macular edema. If new vessels have grown on the surface of the retina, they can bleed into the eye, blocking vision.  But, even in more advanced cases, the disease may progress a long way without symptoms.  That is why regular eye examinations for people with diabetes are so important.   How is it detected? If you have diabetes, you should have your eyes examined at least once a year.  Your eyes should be dilated during the exam. That means eyedrops are used to enlarge your pupils.  This allows the eye doctor to see more of the inside of your eyes to check for signs of the disease. Can diabetic retinopathy be treated? Yes.  Your eye doctor may suggest laser eye surgery in which a strong light beam is aimed onto the retina to shrink the abnormal vessels.  Laser surgery has been proved to reduce the risk of severe vision loss from this type of diabetic retinopathy by 60 percent. If you have macular edema, laser eye surgery may also be used.  In this case, the laser beam is used to seal the leaking blood vessels.  Laser surgery often cannot restore vision that has already been lost.  That is why discovery of diabetic retinopathy early is the best way to prevent vision loss. Can diabetic retinopathy be prevented? Not totally, but your risk can be greatly reduced.  Trials and studies show that better control of blood sugar level slows the onset and progression of retinopathy and lessens the need for laser surgery for severe diabetic retinopathy. The studies have found that the people who kept their blood sugar levels as close to normal as possible had much less eye, kidney, and nerve disease.  This level of blood sugar control may not be best for everyone, including some elderly patients, children under 13, or people with heart disease. So ask your eye doctor if this blood sugar program is right for you to treat your diabetic retinopathy. What can you do to protect your vision? Finding and treating the disease early, before it causes vision loss or blindness, is the best way to control diabetic retinopathy disease.  If you have diabetes, make sure you get a dilated eye examination at least once a year. See your eye doctor for specific analysis, treatment and protection measures for your own case.