Diabetic retinopathy – causes, symptoms & therapy

The permanently elevated blood sugar levels lead to vascular changes and ultimately to diabetic retinopathy. Above all, the vascular change in the retina – retina – which sits behind the vitreous body, changes and is eventually irreparably damaged by the bad influence of blood sugar levels.

However, there are three differences in diabetic retinopathy: there is non-proliferative retinopathy, proliferative retinopathy and diabetic maculopathy.

causes

The most common cause of diabetic retinopathy is poor medication control by the diabetic . This means that the blood sugar levels are constantly too high and thus a vascular change takes place. However, there are also other factors that favor diabetic retinopathy. These include high blood pressure and smoking , hormonal changes during pregnancy or puberty and a frequent rapid drop in blood sugar levels.In the case of non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy, doctors speak of “saccharification of the vessel walls”. The retina experiences poor blood flow; over time, the vessels burst, causing damage to the retina. A fatty deposit develops and primarily affects the macula – the sharp vision. In proliferative diabetic retinopathy, new diseased vessels are constantly forming. Although these try to compensate for the impaired blood supply, they also burst because they are already damaged. This also leads to bleeding in the vitreous body and a reduction in vision.

Furthermore, a vascular proliferation can detach and thus trigger glaucoma . Diabetic retinopathy usually causes a permanent deterioration in vision. In the case of diabetic maculopathy, the doctor speaks of damage to the macula. This is the place in the eye where the person achieves the sharpest vision. The lack of blood supply in diabetic retinopathy damages the macula and impairs vision.

When to the doctor?

In diabetic retinopathy, the symptoms and symptoms appear very late in the course of the disease. For this reason, it is advisable for diabetics to regularly take part in check-ups and check-ups. This should also be done if there are no other indications or impairments. Since diabetic retinopathy affects vision, a doctor’s visit is necessary as soon as the first changes or impairments in vision become apparent.

A doctor should also be consulted if there is only a suspicion or a feeling of a change. In most cases, the disease is only noticed by the affected person when vision is very severely reduced and the effects on everyday processes are therefore very large. Blurred and blurred vision, not recognizing objects or people, and misjudging distances are all reasons that should lead to a doctor’s visit.

If you experience headaches or tension in the head area, you need to see a doctor. The effort to see often leads to an automatic and unconscious tensing of the muscles in the head. In many cases, the permanent heavy use of the optic nerves causes a pain or discomfort in the head. Before taking any pain-relieving medication, it is advisable to consult a doctor to check for suspected diabetic retinopathy.

symptoms and course

At first, the patient does not notice the diabetic retinopathy. Diabetics therefore suffer neither from other symptoms nor from a noticeable visual disturbance . Diabetics only notice diabetic retinopathy when it is already in an advanced stage and the first visual disturbances appear. Many patients report that their vision of objects is blurry.

If there is a hemorrhage in the vitreous body, the patient has “a black dot” in front of the eye. He also likes to refer to this as “soot rain”. Furthermore, vision loss develops very slowly. The patient often complains of spontaneous vision loss. This is the case when sudden bleeding occurs as a result of diabetic retinopathy.

Diagnose

Since diabetic retinopathy does not initially cause any symptoms, it is difficult for ophthalmologists to diagnose diabetic retinopathy “accidentally”. First and foremost, however, the doctor makes the diagnosis with the help of an ophthalmoscope. This is how the doctor recognizes any changes. Many medical professionals also use a drug treatment to dilate the pupils, allowing the doctor to have a better and different view of the eye.

Many doctors recommend regular check-ups for diabetics. Type II diabetics should visit the ophthalmologist once a year; Type I diabetics should see an ophthalmologist annually from the age of 5 or 11. In the case of a pregnant diabetic, the examination is recommended every three months. If diabetic retinopathy already exists, the monthly examination is necessary. Diabetes also has a favorable effect on “cataracts”.

treatment and therapy

First and foremost, it is important that the blood sugar is optimally adjusted in diabetic retinopathy. It is even possible to avoid diabetic retinopathy. The HbA1c value should be less than 6.5 percent for type II diabetics. It is also advisable for type I diabetics if the value mentioned is within the normal range. However, there are certain risk factors that favor diabetic retinopathy and are therefore treated in the first line.

Doctors often use medication to counteract the high blood pressure values, so that normal blood pressure is created here. Treatment is also necessary for kidney disease, which also prevents diabetic retinopathy. [[Hypertriglyceridemia|Blood lipid levels should not be elevated; in addition, the diabetic should stop smoking.However, there are currently no specific pills or medications available to treat diabetic retinopathy. This means that only the preventive measure will help and the doctor will treat any symptoms. In advanced development of diabetic retinopathy, however, laser therapy or vitrectomy of the eyes helps to maintain vision .

prevention

Correct blood sugar control helps prevent diabetic retinopathy. Furthermore, the patient should attend regular medical check-ups – including going to the ophthalmologist. Diet also plays an important factor. In addition, the affected patient should stop smoking if diabetic retinopathy is suspected or as a preventive measure.