Retina Specialists Auckland New Zealand

Diabetic retinopathy

What is diabetic retinopathy?

It is an abnormality of the blood vessels supplying the retina, and is caused by diabetes. The retina is a thin layer of specialised tissue lining the inside of the eye which acts like the film in a camera. The blood vessels may leak fluid leading to a loss of detail vision (eg for reading) or abnormal vessels may develop which can bleed and scar, leading to a more severe loss of vision.

Who gets it?

All people with diabetes are at risk of the condition, and the risk increases with increased duration of diabetes.

Can it be prevented?

Good control of the blood sugars reduces the risk of developing diabetic retinopathy. Control of hypertension is also very valuable in reducing the risk. The most important preventive measure with regard to visual loss from diabetes is regular examinations by an eye specialist to detect the early changes of retinopathy.

Can it be treated?

Laser treatment to vision threatening lesions before symptoms have developed is very effective in preventing visual loss. Once symptoms have developed it is hard to recover vision with laser treatment, although the situation may be stabilized. It is therefore very important to have regular checks to discover disease before the symptomatic stage. The laser treatment consists of multiple small burns on the surface of the retina, and may need to be quite extensive. It is performed as an outpatient sitting in front of a laser machine, and can sometimes be performed over several treatment sessions. After the treatment the vision can be quite blurred for up to a week after which it largely recovers.

If the retinopathy is not responsive to laser treatment, further measures may be required such as an injection of steroid into the eye, or vitreoretinal surgery.


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	Diabetic retinopathy What is diabetic retinopathy? It is an abnormality of the blood vessels supplying the retina, and is caused by diabetes. The retina is a thin layer of specialised tissue lining the inside of the eye which acts like the film in a camera. The blood vessels may leak fluid leading to a loss of detail vision (eg for reading) or abnormal vessels may develop which can bleed and scar, leading to a more severe loss of vision. Who gets it? All people with diabetes are at risk of the condition, and the risk increases with increased duration of diabetes. Can it be prevented? Good control of the blood sugars reduces the risk of developing diabetic retinopathy. Control of hypertension is also very valuable in reducing the risk. The most important preventive measure with regard to visual loss from diabetes is regular examinations by an eye specialist to detect the early changes of retinopathy. Can it be treated? Laser treatment to vision threatening lesions before symptoms have developed is very effective in preventing visual loss. Once symptoms have developed it is hard to recover vision with laser treatment, although the situation may be stabilized. It is therefore very important to have regular checks to discover disease before the symptomatic stage. The laser treatment consists of multiple small burns on the surface of the retina, and may need to be quite extensive. It is performed as an outpatient sitting in front of a laser machine, and can sometimes be performed over several treatment sessions. After the treatment the vision can be quite blurred for up to a week after which it largely recovers. If the retinopathy is not responsive to laser treatment, further measures may be required such as an injection of steroid into the eye, or vitreoretinal surgery.