
Diabetic retinopathy is a complication of diabetes in which damage occurs to the inner layer of the eye that is made up of nerve cells, called the retina or retina. The retina plays a key role in shaping vision in humans because the light that enters the eye and spreads inside the retinal nerves is converted into an electrical impulse which then travels through the optic nerve to the brain and thus shapes our vision. Diabetes causes microangiopathy, ie a disease of small blood vessels, so the retina, which has very small blood vessels, is particularly affected in the eye.
What are the symptoms of diabetic retinopathy?
Visual impairment is the main symptom of diabetic retinopathy. Visual impairment occurs for two reasons.
The first is when the blood vessels in the center of vision due to elevated sugar levels begin to leak fluid and edema or swelling occurs in the center of the eye (yellow spot). This condition is called diabetic macular edema. The fluid that comes out of the blood vessels damages the nerve cells and promotes their degeneration, leading to a weakening of central vision.
Another way in which diabetes impairs vision is when the long-term presence of diabetes causes blockage of the blood vessels in the eye. In this case, the eye’s response to ischemia (malnutrition) of the retina is the development of neovascularization or so-called. the growth of “wild” blood vessels as part of the body’s defense mechanism with the aim of improving the nutrition and flow of this malnourished retina. But it is important to emphasize that these newly created “wild” blood vessels are prone to rupture and bleeding and ultimately only further aggravate the existing bad condition. This stage of diabetic retinopathy is called proliferative diabetic retinopathy. Thus, newly formed blood vessels have very unstable walls that are prone to rupture and bleeding into the interior of the eye and cause hemophthalmos. The person notices this as a sudden weakening of vision or a feeling as if a dark red-black curtain has fallen in front of the eye. If the condition is not treated, connective tissue grows along with the blood vessels, which lifts the retina due to its contractile properties. It is a very dangerous condition and is difficult to treat.