What is diabetic eye disease (diabetic retinopathy)? by Sam Abbassi, M.D., M.S.

 

 

What is diabetic eye disease (diabetic retinopathy)?

 

People with diabetes can develop a disease in their eyes called diabetic retinopathy. Diabetic retinopathy is a leading cause of preventable vision loss in people between 20-60 years of age. This occurs when high blood sugar damages the blood vessels of the retina, which is the lining over the back of the eye. Damage to the blood vessels causes leakage and inappropriate delivery of nutrients and oxygen to the retina, which can lead to vision loss.

 

Diabetic retinopathy has two main stages. In the early stage, small blood vessels leak in the retina causing swelling of the central retina, called macular edema. This is the most common reason for vision loss in people with diabetes. The treatment for this includes blood sugar management and delivery of medications into the eye to minimize the swelling.

 

If diabetes continues to remain poorly controlled, it can progress to a more advanced stage called proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR). In this stage, the retina starts to grow new blood vessels in response to inadequate blood delivery. This process is called neovascularization and can lead to more complications including bleeding inside the eyeball and scarring. PDR is very serious and without adequate treatment and proper blood sugar control, can lead to permanent vision loss. Treatment for this stage of disease requires injections in the eye, retinal lasers, and sometimes even surgery to minimize vision loss.

It is important to have regular eye exams if you have diabetes to ensure that you don’t sustain irreversible damage to your vision

Article by : Sam Abbassi, M.D., M.S.

Who is Dr. Sam Abbassi

 

Dr. Abbassi is a board-certified ophthalmologist and fellowship-trained vitreoretinal surgeon specializing in medical and surgical treatments of complex diseases of the retina and vitreous. He completed his M.D., and M.S. degree in Anatomy and Cellular Biology from Rush University in Chicago earning several research awards.

He then completed his ophthalmology residency at the University of California, Davis, where he was also chief resident and actively involved in multiple research projects and medical missions abroad.
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He pursued further specialization and fellowship training in Vitreoretinal Surgery at the renowned University of Iowa, which is consistently ranked among the top-10 programs in the Country.