Diabetes is a disease marked by high blood sugar and diabetic retinopathy is a complication of this long-standing medical condition. At first, you may not notice significant signs and symptoms. Undiagnosed or untreated conditions increase the risk of vision loss or blindness, a leading reason for vision impairment.
In diabetic retinopathy, blood vessels in the retina get affected. The retina is a lining or layer at the back of your eye that helps sense light and send signals to your brain to help you see. For dedicated medical care for diabetic retinopathy, you might consult the top ophthalmologist in Siliguri.
Signs and symptoms of diabetic retinopathy
Symptoms of diabetes-related retinopathy come into prominence when the condition becomes more advanced, including:
- Distorted or blurry vision
- Fluctuating vision
- Spots/floaters in your vision
- Seeing colours faded
- Empty areas in the vision
- Difficulty seeing faraway objects
- Difficulty reading
- Poor night vision
- Loss of vision
Seek medical attention for any eye-related concerns. Medical supervision helps detect the underlying cause and determine the optimum patient-centric treatment approach.
The two kinds of diabetes-related retinopathy are:
Nonproliferative diabetes-related retinopathy/NPDR
In this medical condition, the walls of the blood vessels in the retina become weak and leak in the retina. Poor blood flow is common in people with nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy. Diabetes, pregnancy, unhealthy diet, heredity, sedentary lifestyle, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, etc. can increase the likelihood of NPDR.
Proliferative diabetes-related retinopathy/ PDR
It’s the advanced stage of diabetic retinopathy, in which damaged blood vessels close off. Blood vessels can break and bleed into the watery gel that fills your eye due to an abnormal buildup of blood vessels on the surface of the retina.
Risk factors for diabetes-related retinopathy
The likelihood of diabetic retinopathy increases with:
- Having diabetes for a long time
- Uncontrolled diabetes
- Pregnancy
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol
- Gestational diabetes
- Tobacco use
With a weakening of the blood vessels of the retina, mild vision problems may appear at the initial stage that you should not overlook. If you’ve already been diagnosed with diabetes, look after your lifestyle choices and consider visiting an ophthalmologist for vision-related concerns. See the best ophthalmologist in Siliguri.
Make sure you pay attention to your vision-related concerns, such as blurry vision or vision changes. Talk to the best eye doctors in Siliguri city. In order to reduce the risk of diabetic retinopathy, improve your lifestyle choices, food choices, and habits, refrain from smoking and substance dependency, ensure routine blood sugar monitoring, and visit your healthcare provider for routine monitoring.