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Diabetic Retinopathy

Diabetic Retinopathy

Diabetic retinopathy is a condition where diabetes causes damage to the retina. It is the leading cause of blindness among American adults. Sadly, many instances of vision loss from diabetic retinopathy could have been prevented with appropriate treatment and regular eye exams. Once damage has occurred, it is not possible to regain lost vision.

Light-sensitive tissue comprises the retina that lines the back of the eye. With diabetic retinopathy, changes to blood vessels in the rear of the eye cause bleeding or leaking fluid, which starts to distort vision. The changes in blood flow happen because diabetes (especially uncontrolled diabetes) can create chronically high blood sugar. This damages very small blood vessels in the retina and eventually leads to retinopathy.

There are four stages to this type of retinopathy:

  1. Mild nonproliferative retinopathy is when small areas of the blood vessels sweet and balloon. These are called microaneurysms and may begin to leak fluid into the retina.
  2. Moderate nonproliferative retinopathy happens as the disease progresses. Blood vessels that supply the retina with blood and essential nutrients may swell and distort. When this happens, they may also lose their ability to transport blood. This may contribute to diabetic macular edema (DME).
  3. Severe nonproliferative retinopathy is when several blood vessels are blocked, depriving blood supply to parts of the retina. These problem areas secrete materials that tell the body to grow new blood vessels in the retina.
  4. Proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) is the advanced stage of diabetic retinopathy. Growth factors secreted by the retina cause too many new blood vessels to form. They grow inside the retina and into surrounding areas, but are fragile and likely to leak and bleed. Scar tissue can shift and cause retinal detachment. If the retina pulls away from underlying tissue, permanent vision loss may occur.

If you have diabetes, it is very important to control blood sugar to guard against developing symptoms. Make sure that you are working closely with a qualified doctor to manage your care and have regular follow-ups.

The same is true for eye care with diabetes. Diabetic eye disease is a group of several eye conditions that are commonly caused by diabetes. These conditions include diabetic retinopathy, diabetic macular edema, cataracts, and glaucoma. If caught in time, treated, and managed as part of a diabetes care plan, many people can maintain their vision or slow the progression of trouble seeing.

Eye Health
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COVID-19 Update: (April 29, 2020)

At North Central Eye, we have been working diligently to maintain a safe environment for our physicians, our staff and most importantly, our patients. We have changed numerous operations to limit exposure, and you may notice some changes in the office and in our optical shop, both of which are open and ready to serve you. In addition to our efforts of meticulously cleaning each room and rotating the rooms used each day, please expect the following for your safety:

  • All patients should wear a mask while in the building.
  • Patients should check in by calling 419-668-3295 from the parking lot. Our staff will then call you to tell you when to enter the building, in order to control our ability to provide adequate social distancing. Our waiting room now has a limited number of seats spaced far apart.
  • Only the patient should come into the office. Spouses, friends, or other companions should wait in the car in order to lessen exposure.
  • In our optical shop, please do not touch the frames on display. Our optical technicians will assist you, and you can point to the frames that you would like to try on. After each session is finished, every pair of frames touched is cleaned.
  • If you have an outstanding bill, please feel free to call and we can process it over the phone with your credit card rather than in person.

Most importantly, if you have;

  • experienced any coronavirus-like symptoms; fever, cough, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, shaking chills, loss of taste or smell, sore throat, fever, or
  • have tested positive for COVID-19, or
  • been exposed to an individual with known COVID-19, please call 419-668-3295. We would like to reschedule you to a time when you feel better and/or have been cleared by your doctor.

Finally, thank you for your patience through this challenging ordeal. Your support of us- as a small business and a group of front-line medical workers- is what makes us proud to serve our local community.