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Are You at Risk for
Diabetic Eye Disease?
Information for People with Diabetes
| CONTENT LIST What is diabetic eye
disease? What is the most common
diabetic eye disease? Who is most likely to get
diabetic retinopathy? What are its
symptoms? How is it
detected? Can diabetic retinopathy
be treated? Can diabetic retinopathy
be prevented? | Looking for more exclusive Biotech Information? |  | In addition to our free knowledge base, BiotechWatch provides the following additional services: - Premium Database, for in-depth coverage of biotechnology companies in the sector, giving the user the ability to search and sort based on more than twenty parameters.
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How common are the other
diabetic eye diseases? What research is being
done? What can you do to protect
your vision? |
Diabetic eye disease refers to a group of eye
problems that people with diabetes may face as a
complication of this disease. All can cause severe
vision loss or even blindness. Diabetic eye disease may include: Diabetic retinopathy--damage to the
blood vessels in the retina. Cataract--clouding of the eye's
lens. Glaucoma--increase in fluid pressure
inside the eye that leads to optic nerve damage
and loss of vision. | Looking for more exclusive Biotech Information? | | In addition to our free knowledge base, BiotechWatch provides the following additional services: - Premium Database, for in-depth coverage of biotechnology companies in the sector, giving the user the ability to search and sort based on more than twenty parameters.
- TrialView Database, which offers disease-specific and biotechnology sector-wide clinical trial information.
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Cataract and glaucoma also affect many people who
do not have diabetes.
Diabetic retinopathy. This disease is a leading
cause of blindness in American adults. It is caused
by changes in the blood vessels of the retina. In
some people with diabetic retinopathy, retinal blood
vessels may swell and leak fluid. In other people,
abnormal new blood vessels grow on the surface of the
retina. These changes may result in vision loss or
blindness.
Anyone with diabetes. The longer someone has
diabetes, the more likely he or she will get diabetic
retinopathy. Nearly half of all people with diabetes
will develop some degree of diabetic retinopathy
during their lifetime.
Often there are none in the early stages of the
disease. Vision may not change until the disease
becomes severe. Nor is there any pain. Blurred vision may occur when the macula--the part
of the retina that provides sharp, central
vision--swells from the leaking fluid. This condition
is called macular edema. If new vessels have grown on
the surface of the retina, they can bleed into the
eye, blocking vision. But, even in more advanced
cases, the disease may progress a long way without
symptoms. That is why regular eye examinations for
people with diabetes are so important. 
| TOP | How is it detected?If you have diabetes, you should have your eyes
examined at least once a year. Your eyes should be
dilated during the exam. That means eyedrops are
used to enlarge your pupils. This allows the eye
care professional to see more of the inside of your
eyes to check for signs of the disease. | Looking for more exclusive Biotech Information? | | In addition to our free knowledge base, BiotechWatch provides the following additional services: - Premium Database, for in-depth coverage of biotechnology companies in the sector, giving the user the ability to search and sort based on more than twenty parameters.
- TrialView Database, which offers disease-specific and biotechnology sector-wide clinical trial information.
- Make your View Count - at BiotechWatch's You Too Can Be An Analyst. Vote on the success of upcoming biotech events.
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|
| TOP |
Yes. Your eye care professional may suggest laser
surgery in which a strong light beam is aimed onto
the retina to shrink the abnormal vessels. Laser
surgery has been proved to reduce the risk of severe
vision loss from this type of diabetic retinopathy by
60 percent. If you have macular edema, laser surgery may also
be used. In this case, the laser beam is used to seal
the leaking blood vessels. However, laser surgery
often cannot restore vision that has already been
lost. That is why finding diabetic retinopathy early
is the best way to prevent vision loss. | TOP |
Not totally, but your risk can be greatly reduced.
The Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT)
showed that better control of blood sugar level slows
the onset and progression of retinopathy and lessens
the need for laser surgery for severe
retinopathy. The study found that the group that tried to keep
their blood sugar levels as close to normal as
possible had much less eye, kidney, and nerve
disease. This level of blood sugar control may not be
best for everyone, including some elderly patients,
children under 13, or people with heart disease. So
ask your doctor if this program is right for you. | TOP |
If you have diabetes, you are also at risk for
other diabetic eye diseases. Studies show that you
are twice as likely to get a cataract as a person who
does not have the disease. Also, cataracts develop at
an earlier age in people with diabetes. Cataracts can
usually be treated by surgery. | Looking for more exclusive Biotech Information? | | In addition to our free knowledge base, BiotechWatch provides the following additional services: - Premium Database, for in-depth coverage of biotechnology companies in the sector, giving the user the ability to search and sort based on more than twenty parameters.
- TrialView Database, which offers disease-specific and biotechnology sector-wide clinical trial information.
- Make your View Count - at BiotechWatch's You Too Can Be An Analyst. Vote on the success of upcoming biotech events.
- Visit the Biotech Forum, where you can exchange ideas and generate new biotech investments.
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Glaucoma may also become a problem. A person with
diabetes is nearly twice as likely to get glaucoma as
other adults. And, as with diabetic retinopathy, the
longer you have had diabetes, the greater your risk
of getting glaucoma. Glaucoma may be treated with
medications, laser, or other forms of surgery. | TOP |
Much research is being done to learn more about
diabetic eye disease. For instance, the National Eye
Institute is supporting a number of research studies
in the laboratory and with patients to learn what
causes diabetic retinopathy and how it can be better
treated. This research should provide better ways to
detect and treat diabetic eye disease and prevent
blindness in more people with diabetes. | TOP |
Finding and treating the disease early, before it
causes vision loss or blindness, is the best way to
control diabetic eye disease. So, if you have
diabetes, make sure you get a dilated eye examination
at least once a year. To learn more about diabetic eye disease, write:
National Eye Health Education Program, 2020 Vision
Place, Bethesda, MD 20892-3655. National Eye Institute
National Institutes of Health
NIH Publication No. 96-3252 |
April 2000 | Looking for more exclusive Biotech Information? | | In addition to our free knowledge base, BiotechWatch provides the following additional services: - Premium Database, for in-depth coverage of biotechnology companies in the sector, giving the user the ability to search and sort based on more than twenty parameters.
- TrialView Database, which offers disease-specific and biotechnology sector-wide clinical trial information.
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- Visit the Biotech Forum, where you can exchange ideas and generate new biotech investments.
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