Diabetic retinopathy is a potentially blinding complication
of diabetes which causes abnormalities in the tiny blood vessels
leading to the retina. These blood vessels swell and leak
blood, damaging the retina, the light-sensitive tissue which
lines the back portion of the eye. Left untreated, diabetic
retinopathy can result in severe loss of vision and ultimately
blindness.
The causes of diabetic
retinopathy are not certain, but it has been determined
that the fluctuation in blood sugar levels leads
to an increased risk of this disease.
There are two stages of diabetic retinopathy, nonproliferative,
or background retinopathy, and proliferative retinopathy.
In the early stage of nonproliferative retinopathy,
your symptoms may include blurred or changing vision
from the leaking blood that obscures the light-sensitive
retina. Proliferative retinopathy is the more advanced
stage of this disease. New blood vessels grow abnormally
in the retina and this growth can lead to bleeding,
scarring, or a retinal detachment which can lead
to total blindness.
