Diabetic Retinopathy

Patients who have diabetes should have their eyes dilated every year to monitor diabetic retinopathy. Diabetic retinopathy is a complication from diabetes. Diabetes can affects all the blood vessels in our body. In diabetic retinopathy the blood vessels walls are weakened allowing blood and other components to spill out causing hemorrhages in the back of the eye. The range of diabetic retinopathy can be mild and reversible or severe with permanent vision loss.

In some cases, diabetic retinopathy will be seen in a routine eye exam without the patient aware that they may have diabetes. If the condition is severe, they eye may create new leaky blood vessels which would be treated with a medicine injected into the eye.