About Diabetic Retinopathy Pain

A person who suffers from the metabolic disease diabetes oftentimes endures a variety of other conditions and symptoms that are associated with the disease, including diabetic retinopathy. Diabetic eye disease or diabetic retinopathy is a complication diabetics experience that causes blindness in extreme conditions.

General Information

According to the National Institutes of Health, diabetic retinopathy causes more Americans to go blind each year than any other cause. Some diabetics with this condition experience swelling of the blood vessels in the eyes, which causes leakage of the fluid in the eye. Other diabetics experience a growth of new blood vessels across the surface of the retina, the tissue located in the back of the eyes. Commonly, the condition affects both eyes. The disease undergoes four different stages: mild nonproliferative retinopathy, moderate nonproliferative retinopathy, severe nonproliferative retinopathy and proliferative retinopathy.

Symptoms

Typically, no symptoms develop in the early stages of diabetic retinopathy. Cloudiness in the eye’s lens, also referred to as cataracts, may occur as the disease progresses. The National Institute of Health denotes that diabetic retinopathy patients may develop glaucoma, an additional pressure fluid pressure buildup in the eye. Ultimately, the glaucoma results in optic nerve damage, which instigates vision loss. The abnormal leaking vessels within the eye cause blurry vision in the advanced stages of the disease. Bleeding inside the eye causes red spots that appear as though they are floating. In the most advanced stage of diabetic retinopathy, total blindness occurs.

Treatment

Treatment of diabetic retinopathy pain consists of treating the condition itself. In the early stages, there is not a treatment that is recommended besides monitoring blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol levels. If macular edema or swelling from the fluid leakage appears, then a focal laser treatment is necessary to singe the area where leakage is occurring. When the disease advances into proliferative retinopathy, a scatter laser surgery is necessary to stop the pain and blurring. This particular treatment uses about 1,000 to 2,000 lasers to burn sections of the eye to shrink the blood vessels, ultimately resulting in a reduction of the edema and pain. If a large quantity of blood builds up in the eye, then a vitrectomy may be necessary. The surgical procedure removes the blood that has filled up in the eye.