iabetic
eye disease refers to a group of eye
problems that people with diabetes may face as a
complication of this disease. All can cause severe
vision loss or even blindness.
Diabetic eye disease may include:
Diabetic retinopathy
- damage to the blood vessels in the retina.
Cataract
- clouding of the eye's lens.
Glaucoma
- increase in fluid pressure inside the eye that
leads to optic nerve damage and loss of vision.
Cataract and glaucoma also affect many people
who do not have diabetes.
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What is the most common
diabetic eye disease?
Diabetic retinopathy. This 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.
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Who is most likely to get
diabetic retinopathy?
Anyone with diabetes. The longer someone has
diabetes, the more likely he or she will get diabetic
retinopathy. Nearly half of all people with
diabetes will develop some degree of diabetic
retinopathy during their lifetime.
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What are its symptoms?
Often there are none in the early stages of the
disease. Vision may not change until the disease
becomes severe. Nor is there any pain.
Blurred vision may occur when the macula - the
part of the retina that provides sharp, central
vision - swells 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.
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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 care professional to see more of the inside of
your eyes to check for signs of the disease.
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Can diabetic retinopathy be
treated?
Yes. Your eye care professional may suggest laser
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 surgery may also
be used. In this case, the laser beam is used to seal
the leaking blood vessels. However, laser surgery
often cannot restore vision that has already been
lost. That is why finding diabetic retinopathy early
is the best way to prevent vision loss.
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Can diabetic retinopathy be
prevented?
Not totally, but your risk can be greatly reduced.
The Diabetes Control and Complications Trial
(DCCT) showed that better control of blood
sugar level slows the onset and progression of
retinopathy and lessens the need for laser
surgery for severe retinopathy.
The study found that the group that tried to
keep 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 doctor if this program
is right for you.
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How common are the other
diabetic eye diseases?
If you have diabetes, you are also at risk for other
diabetic eye diseases. Studies show that you are
twice as likely to get a cataract as a person who
does not have the disease. Also, cataracts develop
at an earlier age in people with diabetes. Cataracts
can usually be treated by surgery.
Glaucoma may also become a problem. A person
with diabetes is nearly twice as likely to get glaucoma
as other adults.
And, as with diabetic retinopathy, the longer you
have had diabetes, the greater your risk of getting
glaucoma. Glaucoma may be treated with
medications, laser, or other forms of surgery.
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What research is being
done?
Much research is being done to learn more about
diabetic eye disease. For instance, the National Eye
Institute is supporting a number of research studies
in the laboratory and with patients to learn
what causes diabetic retinopathy and how it can be
better treated. This research should provide better
ways to detect and treat diabetic eye disease and
prevent blindness in more people with diabetes.
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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 eye disease. So, if you have
diabetes, make sure you get a dilated eye
examination at least once a year.
From the
National Eye Institute, NIH
March 2000
http://www.nei.nih.gov/health/diabetic/DLSofDED.WebOnly.pdf (PDF file) [PDF help]
Also see:
cataracts
diabetic retinopathy: What you should know
keep your eyes healthy
retinopathy
"This Web page brings together in one place descriptions of and links to only those Web pages dealing with diabetic retinopathy…"
(By David Mendosa)
saving your sight — early detection is critical
take charge of your diabetes — eye problems
