Latest Articles

News image

Procedure Effective in Predicting Progression of Alzheimer’s

A study published in the journal Alzheimer Disease and Associated Disorders has shown that...

News image

Migraine Associated With Increased Risk of Cardiovascular Disease

According to research, women who have migraines with aura could be more likely to...

News image

Insomnia and Short Sleep Duration Associated With Increased Mortality Risk

According to research, men with insomnia and sleep duration of six or fewer hours...

News image

Walnut Consumption Significantly Decreases LDL Cholesterol

Researchers have found that high-walnut-enriched diets significantly decreased total and LDL cholesterol for the...

News image

Dietary Fat Linked to Pancreatic Cancer

According to a study, high intake of dietary fats from red meat and dairy...

News image

New Evidence Why Repair of Myelin Fails in Multiple Sclerosis

Research has uncovered new evidence suggesting that damage to nerve cells in people with...

News image

Memory Test Helps Understand Parkinson's Disease Effect on Behavior

A new neuropsychological memory test developed by Dr. Mark Gluck, is helping to uncover...

Most Read

News image

Device Highlighted As an Effective Treatment for High Blood Pressure

RESPeRATE, the only medical device cleared by the FDA and CE-approved for the adjunctive...

News image

Olive Oil Intake Reduces Blood Pressure and Could Reduce Cancer Risk

The olive tree, Olea europaea, is native to the Mediterranean basin and parts of...

News image

Cherry Supplement Improves Pain and Function in Osteoarthritis

According to recent research, ground whole Montmorency tart cherries in pill form may be...

News image

Researchers Discover Broccoli May Help Protect Against Asthma

Researchers have discovered that a naturally occurring compound found in broccoli and other cruciferous...

News image

Drug Free Treatment for High Blood Pressure Successfully Tested

Researchers have demonstrated the effectiveness of a drug free treatment for high blood pressure...

News image

Fat in Urine Could Predict Whether Prostate Cancer is Aggressive

According to research published in the British Journal of Cancer, tiny bubbles of fat...

News image

Vibration Plate Machines Could Aid Weight Loss and Shed Belly Fat

According to research, with proper use, vibration plate exercise machines could trim the particularly...

Diabetes and Diabetic Retinopathy E-mail
eye diagram
One of the potential complications of diabetes is diabetic retinopathy, which damages the blood vessels in the retina in the eye.

Diabetic retinopathy affects those with both type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes.

Diabetic eye diseases are:
  • Diabetic retinopathy: Damage to the blood vessels in the retina.
  • Cataract: Clouding of the lens of the eye.
  • Glaucoma: Increase in fluid pressure inside the eye that leads to optic nerve damage and loss of vision.
Diabetic retinopathy is the most common diabetic eye disease and is the leading cause of blindness in adults between 20 and 74 years old. 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.

The onset of diabetic retinopathy is influenced by how long one has had diabetes, if the diabetes is poorly controlled, high blood pressure, lipid abnormalities, kidney disease or congestive heart failure. There are often no symptoms in the early stages of diabetic retinopathy. Even in more advanced cases, the disease may progress a long way without symptoms.

Those with diabetes are 25 times more likely than the general population to go blind. While the cause of retinopathy is not known, it does not occur in isolation. Diabetic retinopathy is impacted by the overall health of the individual; hence diabetes information, diabetes management and regular eye examinations for people with diabetes is key to prevention. Those with type 1 diabetes should have a yearly eye exam beginning five years after diabetes diagnosis. Those with type 2 diabetes should receive an eye exam at the time of diagnosis and then yearly.

Daily self-management, including attention to an appropriate diet, exercise, adherence to medications and blood glucose monitoring, is the key to good health. Complications can be avoided by asking your doctor how often you need your hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) level checked.  The HbA1c is a measure of average blood glucose during the previous 2 to 3 months, LDL cholesterol (lower than 100) and blood pressure (less than 130/80) levels.

For diabetes information, there is a free educational resource about controlling diabetes from Penn State Hershey
References:
1. The Medical Minute: Diabetic eye. Penn State Hershey. November 2008.
2. National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health.

More Diabetes Related Articles

Researchers Develop Type 2 Diabetes Risk Calculator

News image

UK researchers have developed a clinical algorithm that can help estimate the 10-year risk of type 2 diabetes. The algorithm does not need laboratory tests and can be used in clinical settings and also by the public through a simple web calculator. The new diabetes risk algorithm (the QDScore)...

Diabetes Heart Attack Risk Can Be Reduced

News image

According to research, people with diabetes who maintain intensive, low blood sugar levels are significantly less likely to suffer heart attacks and coronary heart disease. By undertaking a meta-analysis which pooled information from five large trials, researchers were for the first time able to provide reliable evidence linking intensive...

Diabetes and Diabetic Retinopathy

News image

One of the potential complications of diabetes is diabetic retinopathy, which damages the blood vessels in the retina in the eye. Diabetic retinopathy affects those with both type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes. Diabetic eye diseases are: Diabetic retinopathy: Damage to the blood vessels in the retina. Cataract:...

Egg Consumption and the Risk of Developing Type 2 Diabetes

News image

According to researchers, eating one egg every day substantially increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Whereas limited and inconsistent findings have been reported on the relation between dietary cholesterol or egg consumption and fasting glucose, no previous studies have examined the association between egg consumption and type...

Adult Onset Diabetes Slows Several Types of Mental Processing

News image

Adults with diabetes experience a slowdown in several types of mental processing, which appears early in the disease and persists into old age, according to new research. Given the sharp rise in new cases of diabetes, this finding means that more adults may soon be living with mild but...