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Diabetic Retinopathy

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1. Briefly define the following parts of the eye and their role in vision:

A. Optic Nerve: each of the second pair of cranial nerves, transmitting impulses

to the brain from the retina at the back of the eye.

It is where energy is converted into electrical energy so it can travel to the brain and trigger

responses. The optic nerve is a continuation of rods and cones which make up the retina.

However, at its head, there is a blind spot because there are no photoreceptors in this part of

the optic nerve. This blind spot does not cause problems for people when seeing.

B. Macula: an oval yellowish(means that it absorbs blue and violet light which would

harm the retina thus acting as a protector/ sunblock for the retina.

)area …show more content…

However, even patients with controlled diabetes can develop diabetic retinopathy.

It is important for diabetic patients to be examined yearly because there are no

symptoms of diabetic retinopathy so early detection and treatment can help reduce the

risk of permanent vision loss. two forms of diabetic retinopathy:

Nonproliferative: this is where exisiting blood vessels in the retina completely deteriorate. These

deteriorated blood vessels can become blocked or develop into aneurysms. Then fats, fluids,

and proteins leak out of the abnormal blood vessels. The fluids then collect in the retina and

cause the macula to swell, this is called edema. Edema impairs the vision responsible for

seeing fine detail and reading.

Proliferative: This is where new blood vessels grow on the surface of the retina which cause

small hemorrhages and bleeding. This causes scar formation which allows the clear gel of the

vitreous to adhere to the retina. This puts pressure on the shape of the vitreous causing it to

change its shape and tear the retina causing retinal detachment. It can treated can be treated

three ways:

Photcoagulation: A focal is used to burn the areas of the retina where the abnormal

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