The possible causes are Obesity / Overweight, Alcohol / Smoking / Tobacco, Stress / Tension / Worry, Heredity, Genetic Disorder
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What are the Complications of Diabetes? |
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Diabetes affects the whole body & may expose you to risks as under :
- Nerve Problems (Neuropathy)
- Blood Vessel Disease (Arteriosclerosis)
- Eye Problems (Retinopathy)
- Kidney Disease (Nephropathy)
- Brain Haemorrhage
- Heart Attack
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What are the Symptoms of Diabetes? |
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- Blurred Vision
- Sudden Weight Loss
- Fatigue or Tiredness
- Increased Hunger or Thirst
- Increased Urination
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- Frequent Infections
- Slow Healing Cuts or Sores
- Dry Itchy Skin
- Numbness in feet & hands
- Impotence
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How to control Diabetes? |
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- Keep your blood sugar under good control.
- Monitor your blood pressure and keep it under good control, or seek appropriate care.
- Maintain a healthy diet, preferably a lower-fat diet.
- Follow a regular exercise plan
- Drink alcohol in moderation
- Spirituality
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How does Diabetes affect your Eyes? |
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- Repeated Stye
- Frequent changes in Spectacle Number
- Diabetic Retinopathy
- Early Development of Cataract (Motibindu)
- Glaucoma (Jhamer)
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What is Diabetic Retinopathy (DR)? |
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Diabetic retinopathy is a condition in which high blood sugar causes retinal blood vessels to swell and leak blood.
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What are the signs and symptoms of diabetic retinopathy? |
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In the early stages of diabetic retinopathy, you might have no symptoms at all, or you might have blurred vision. In the later stages, you develop cloudy vision, blind spots or floaters.
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Whose at the most risk for diabetic retinopathy? |
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Fluctuating blood sugar levels lead to an increased risk of this disease, as does long-term diabetes. Most people don't develop diabetic retinopathy until they've had diabetes for at least 10 years.
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What are the complications of diabetic retinopathy? |
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There maybe severe complications like Retinal Detachment, Vitreous Haemorrhage and even blindness. Symptoms such as gradual or sudden loss of vision, floaters in front of eyes, distorted images or blackouts may or may not be present.
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What are the tests available to diagnose diabetic retinopathy? |
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Fundus Photography : Eyes are the only organs where live blood vessels can be seen. Photographs of the retina are taken with the help of a special camera to capture their current condition and monitor the progress of the disease.
Fundus Fluorescein Angiography : A dye is injected in the hand of patient. Within seconds, the dye reaches the eyes by blood circulation and fills the retinal blood vessels, which are now clearly seen. The appearance of new blood vessels in retina and leakage of blood can be accurately detected.
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What diabetic retinopathy treatments are currently available? |
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The best treatment is to keep your diabetes under control, blood pressure control is also helpful. Your doctor may decide on laser photocoagulation to seal leaking blood vessels and destroy new blood vessel growth.
If blood gets into the vitreous humor, your doctor might want to perform a procedure called a vitrectomy.
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What are the different types of diabetic retinopathy? |
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Diabetic retinopathy is classified as either non-proliferative (background) or proliferative. Non-proliferative retinopathy is the early stage, where small retinal blood vessels break and leak. In proliferative retinopathy, new blood vessels grow abnormally within the retina.
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Is there anyway to prevent diabetic retinopathy? |
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Keeping your blood sugar at an even level can help prevent diabetic retinopathy. If you have high blood pressure, keeping that under control is helpful as well. Even controlled diabetes can lead to diabetic retinopathy, so you should have your eyes examined once a year; that way, your doctor can begin treating any retinal damage as soon as possible.
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Is diabetic retinopathy curable? |
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No. Early treatment can slow the progression of diabetic retinopathy, but is not likely to reverse any vision loss.
