Symptoms of Diabetic Retinopathy>

Unfortunately, you could have diabetic retinopathy without knowing it because there are no early symptoms. The disease will progress until vision loss begins to occur in both eyes. As diabetic retinopathy progresses, you may experience blurry or distorted vision, loss of central and color vision, poor night vision, blank or dark areas in the field of vision, and floaters. 

Schedule an exam with one of our expert doctors as soon as possible if you have experienced any of these symptoms.

What Are The Stages Of Diabetic Retinopathy?

There are four stages of diabetic retinopathy:

Stage 1: Mild nonproliferative retinopathy – microaneurysms and dot blot hemorrhages which look like a small red dot or balloon. These do not affect vision and may go unnoticed without an exam.

Stage 2: Moderate nonproliferative retinopathy – characterized by cotton wool spots which are white fluffy-looking areas in the retina. These occur when the blood vessels become so leaky that oxygen can no longer be delivered to the retinal tissues. 

Stage 3: Severe no proliferative retinopathy – in this stage bleeding occurs across the entire retina and permanent changes to the shape of the blood vessels also occur. This is called venous beading and the blood vessels begin to look like beads on a string. Additionally, sometimes new shunt vessels will grow between arteries and veins to bypass the damaged blood vessel area. In extreme cases even the optic nerve which carries information into the brain can begin to swell.

Stage 4: Proliferative retinopathy – An advanced stage of the disease. New blood vessels form in the retina which will cause significant levels of bleeding and often the formation of fibrotic scar-like tissue. At this point, problems like retinal detachments and blindness can occur.

Treatment Options for Diabetic Retinopathy

Our doctors at The EyeDoctors Optometrists are highly skilled in diagnosing patients with diabetic retinopathy and managing their conditions.  The EyeDoctors Optometrists understand the dangerous implications and time-sensitive manner in approaching this health condition. Your treatment will be based on what your eye doctor sees in your eyes. A few treatment options are:

• Laser surgery which reduces the demand in the retina for new blood vessel growth. This can reduce bleeding and swelling of the retina.

• Medications such as Avastin, Eylea, and Lucentis. These Anti-VEGF medications help stop new leaky blood vessel growth and ultimately will help to reduce swelling of the macula and slow the vision loss process