Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy

Diabetic retinopathy occurs when high blood sugar levels cause damage to blood vessels in the retina. Diabetic retinopathy can progress to this more severe type, known as proliferative diabetic retinopathy when damaged blood vessels get blocked and new, abnormal blood vessels grow in the retina.

Symptoms of Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy

The symptoms of proliferative diabetic retinopathy include

• blurred vision/loss of vision
• seeing floaters or dark spots
• Pain, redness

Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy Risk Factors

• Diabetes: The longer a person has diabetes, the more likely he or she is to develop diabetic retinopathy, particularly if the diabetes is poorly controlled.
• Medical conditions: other medical conditions like high blood pressure and high cholesterol increase the risk
• Pregnancy: Pregnant women face a higher risk for developing diabetes and diabetic retinopathy.
• Heredity
• Sedentary lifestyle
• Diet
• Obesity

Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy Prevention

You can’t always prevent diabetic retinopathy. If you are  diagnosed  with diabetes, it is important to do the following:

• Get regular eye exams and physical checkups.
• Keep your blood sugar, cholesterol, and blood pressure at healthy levels.
• Be mindful of any changes you may notice in your vision, and discuss them with your doctor.
• Stop smoking
• Regular exercise
• Timely treatment and appropriate follow ups are important.

If you or someone close to you has developed diabetic retinopathy, do not put off an eye test. Walk into Dr. Agarwal’s Eye Hospital for an appointment with top specialists and surgeons in the field of eye care.

Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy Diagnosis

Visual acuity testing:

This eye chart test measures a person’s vision

Tonometry:

This test measures pressure inside the eye.

Pupil dilation:

Drops placed on the eye’s surface widen the pupil, allowing a physician to examine the retina and optic nerve.

Comprehensive dilated eye exam:

It allows the doctor to check the retina for:

• Changes to blood vessels or leaking blood vessels and new vessels
• Fatty deposits
• Swelling of the macula (Diabetic macular edema)
• Changes in the lens
• Damage to nerve tissue

Optical coherence tomography (OCT):

It uses light waves to produce images of the retina to assess the amount of fluid.

Fundus fluorescein angiography(FFA):

During this test, your doctor will inject a dye into your arm, allowing them to track how the blood flows in your eye. They’ll take pictures of the dye circulating inside of your eye to determine which vessels are blocked, leaking, or broken.

B Scan Ultrasonography:

It uses ultrasound waves to image the eye when there is no view of the retina due to vitreous haemorrhage.

 Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy Complications

• Vitreous hemorrhage. The new blood vessels are fragile and may bleed into the eye. If the amount of bleeding is small, you might see only a few floaters. In severe cases, blood can fill the eye and cause reduced vision.
• Retinal detachment. The abnormal blood vessels can form scar tissue which can pull on the retina and cause retinal detachment.
• New blood vessels may grow in the front part of your eye and invade the drainage part of the eye, causing increased pressure in the eye. This pressure can damage the nerve that carries images from your eye to your brain.
• Eventually, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma or both can lead to complete vision loss.