Introduction
Diabetic retinopathy is a disease of the light-sensitive membrane at the back of the eye (retina). It is a complication of diabetes and a common cause of blindness. Early detection and treatment of diabetic retinopathy is important to keep your eyes healthy and prevent more damage.
What are the causes?
Diabetic retinopathy is caused by blood sugar (glucose) levels that are too high for an extended period of time. High blood glucose causes damage to the small blood vessels of the retina, allowing blood to leak through the vessel walls. This causes difficulty seeing (visual impairment) and eventually blindness.
What increases the risk?
You are more likely to develop this condition if:
You have had diabetes for a long time.
You have
These changes typically affect small blood vessels in the eye and compromise the blood-retinal barrier. When viewing the retina with the use of an ophthalmoscope or via retinal imaging, haemorrhages appearing as small red spots can be seen which are leaks in the blood vessels. Overtime these tiny leaks within the affected blood vessels create inflammation within the retina. As a result of these inflammatory processes, the retina releases angiogenic factors. Angiogenic factors include the production of new blood vessels within the eye. These new blood vessels don’t have tight junctions and are therefore extremely leaky. If diabetic retinopathy is not treated it can result in severe scarring on the retina which evidently gives reduction in
Uncontrolled blood glucose levels damage retinal blood vessels, impacting the light-sensitive tissue that allows people to see fine details. The small vessel disease will develop in more than half of all people who have either form of diabetes, and it is the most prevalent cause of irreversible blindness among working-age Americans, according to the American Society of Retina Specialist. Symptoms may
Macular Degeneration is a disease that affects the retina of the eye. The retina is a layer in the back of the eye that helps us to see. It is also the lining of the eye that helps us respond to light. However, when having macular degeneration there are major changes in a person's central vision. The disease causes central images to appear blurred and then dark spots may begin to appear that get larger and larger. It may also be very hard to see straight lines as Macular Degeneration may cause them to be curved. When having this disease color may appear to be darker and less vivid than normal.
Problems like cataracts, glaucoma, and damage to the retina (retinopathy) are issues for many people with diabetes. You must regularly visit an eye doctor, such an optometrist or ophthalmologist, in order to check for these potentially serious conditions.
Long-term effects of diabetes can cause many serious complications: heart disease, stroke, blindness, amputations, and kidney disease and nerve damage. These complications are usually progressive and develop over time due to poor control of blood glucose levels. High blood glucose levels cause a narrowing of all the vessels, blockage, and high blood pressure.
Diabetic retinopathy which is the eye damage occurs to the retina due to diabetes, eventually leads to blindness. A systemic disease which affects up to 80 percent of all patients has diabetes for 20 years or more, it is an ocular manifestation of diabetes. Research indicates that at least 90% of these new cases could be condensed if there were proper and watchful handling and checking of the eyes despite these intimidating statistics. The extensive a person has diabetes, the advanced his or her chances of developing diabetic retinopathy. Diabetic retinopathy interprets for 12% of all new belongings
People with diabetes have a condition in which the quantity of glucose (blood sugar) in the blood is too elevated (hyperglycemia). This is because the body does not produce enough insulin, produces no insulin Type 1, or has cells that do not respond properly to the insulin the pancreas produces diabetes Type 2. This results in too much glucose building up in the blood. This excess blood glucose eventually passes out of the body in urine. So, even though the blood has plenty of glucose, the cells are not getting it for their essential energy and growth requirements. Diabetes is a system out of balance. When normal sugar homeostasis is disrupted by either the pancreas not making enough insulin and/or the body's cells not responding to the insulin, glucose homeostasis is disrupted as the glucose levels rise. Another system which has disrupted homeostasis from diabetes is the body water regulation system. As sugar levels rise in the blood, water is pulled out of the cells, shrinking them. The brain doesn't function as well and cloudy thoughts happen.. Water is pulled out of the vitreous of the eyeball, and it shrinks, causing blurring vision. The high glucose starts leaking through the
Hyperglycemia results in damage to retinal capillaries. This weakens the capillary walls and results in small outpouchings of the vessel lumens, known as microaneurysms.
Do you know what the leading cause of blindness is in Americans from ages 20 to 74? It is diabetes an illness that changes the way the body breaks down and absorbs sugars. These changes, doctors feel, take away oxygen that the retina needs. (The retina is the back layer of the eye and it is where sharp images are formed.) When this happens’ some small blood vessels may become weak and break, vision problems occur when this blood leaks into the areas around the retina. Diabetes can also cause glaucoma and cataracts. Glaucoma is a disease that causes a lot of pressure in the eye because too much fluid builds up. Cataracts, on the other hand, cloud the lens of the eye and this makes a person feel like he or she is looking through a grimy window.
and proteins leak out of the abnormal blood vessels. The fluids then collect in the retina and
Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness globally and in the U.S. adults younger than age 60. It is more common in individual with type 2 diabetes compared to those with type 1 due to long-standing hyperglycemia before diagnosis. Most people with diabetes eventually develops some degree of retinopathy and they are more likely to develop cataracts and glaucoma. The prevalence and severity of retinopathy are strongly related to individual’s age, the duration of diabetes, and the extent of glycemic control. Three stages of the retinopathy leads to vision loss; stage I – non-proliferative is characterized by thickening of the retinal capillary basement membrane and increased retinal capillary permeability, vein dilation, micro-aneurysm formation, and hemorrhages. Stage II – pre-proliferative there is progression of retinal ischemia with areas of inadequate perfusion that result in infarcts. Stage III – proliferative involves neovascularization (angiogenesis) and fibrous tissue formation within
Type 2 diabetes is becoming more and more common in children and teenagers because of the increase in obesity in young people” (Journal of the American Medical Association, 2011). As a result, there a many risk factors and health risks associated with type 2 diabetes. Risk factors include people with poorly managed blood glucose, overweight, family history, and poor diet. In people with diabetes kidney disease or kidney damage is a complication of diabetes, the nephrons slowly thicken and become scarred over time. The kidneys begin to leak and protein (albumin) passes into the urine. This damage can happen years before any symptoms begin” (National Library of Medicine, 2014). Secondly, diabetic retinopathy is a condition which causes progressive damage to the retina, the light sensitive lining at the back of the eye. Diabetic retinopathy is the result of damage to the tiny blood vessels that nourish the retina. They leak blood and other fluids that cause swelling of retinal tissue and clouding of vision” (American Optometric Association, 2014). Lastly, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, (2013) diabetic neuropathies are a family of nerve disorders which can occur overtime and develop nerve damage throughout the
Diabetic Retinopathy is one of the most common cause for vision loss among working age peoples. Previous studies of Diabetic Retinopathy had revealed that high blood glucose effect on the retinal blood vessels function and induce apoptosis of endothelial cells, pericytes and Muller cells. The apoptosis of these cells leads to increase retinal vascular permeability that cause leakage. Endothelial and pericytes cells apoptosis was promote by mitochondrial dysfunction due to high glucose, but it is still unknow if High Glucose (HG) will lead to mitochondrial dysfunction for Muller Cells and consequently promote Muller cell apoptosis or not.
They include: heart and blood vessels, eyes, kidneys, nerves, gums and teeth. In regards to the heart and blood vessels, there are approximately 65% of death that is caused by diabetes due to major complication of heart disease and stroke. In the peripheral artery diseases diabetes also plays a major role in the cause of poor blood flow in the legs and feet. Many studies show that controlling diabetes can prevent or stop the progression of heart and blood vessel disease. Blood vessel damage or nerve damage may also lead to foot problems that can lead to amputations. More than 60% of leg and foot amputations not related to an injury are due to diabetes. Another complication of diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in the U.S. There has been a number of eye problems that if not addressed can lead to eye blindness which include: glaucoma,cataracts and diabetic retinopathy. Ninety percent of diabetic-related blindness as study shown could be prevented if there would be regular eye exams and timely treatment of diabetes-related eye problems. Furthermore, kidney failure is also one leading cause of further complication that resulted from uncontrolled diabetes in the U.S. It is said that drugs that help lower blood pressure can help the chance to developing kidney failure by 33%. Also diabetes on nerves can lead to loss of sensation or pain and burning of the feet because nerves are harmed due to over time high blood sugar levels. It can also
Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) affects the diabetic patients. Generally diabetics are of three types Type I, II and III. The Type I diabetic is due to the genetic predisposition, Type II diabetic which usually affects the adults. This is owing to over weight of children beyond their age limit and Type III is seen only in pregnant women. The patients with Type I diabetics will only suffer from DR which influence the retina. This leads the way to damage of retina and finally blindness.