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Diabetic retinopathy Cincinnati

Dr. David Howard, physician for diabetic retinopathy located in Cincinnati Ohio, provides individual attention to your eye care and uses the most advanced diabetic retinopathy treatment technology. Contact Anderson Hills EyeCare & Optical today to schedule a diabetic retinopathy consultation.

DIABETIC RETINOPATHY

Diabetes can affect sight:
If you have diabetes mellitus, your body does not use and store sugar properly. High blood-sugar levels can damage blood vessels in the retina, the nerve layer at the back of the eye that senses light and helps to send images to the brain. The damage to retinal vessels is referred to as diabetic retinopathy. The Anderson Hills Eye Center in Cincinnati Ohio, specializes in the detection and treatment of diabetic retinopathy.

NORMAL EYE
CLOSE-UP OF RETINA WITH DIABETIC RETINOPATHY

Types of diabetic retinopathy:
There are to types of diabetic retinopathy: nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) and proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR).

NPDR, commonly known as background retinopathy, is an early stage of diabetic retinopathy. In this stage, tiny blood vessels within the retina leak blood or fluid. The leaking fluid causes the retina to swell or to form deposits called exudates.

PDR is present when abnormal new vessels (neovascularization) begin growing on the surface of the retina or optic nerve. The main cause of PDR is widespread closure of retinal blood vessels, preventing adequate blood flow. The retina responds by growing new blood vessels in an attempt to supply blood to the area where the original vessels closed.

Unfortunately, the new, abnormal blood vessels do not resupply the retina with normal blood flow. The new vessels are often accompanied by scar tissue that may cause wrinkling or detachment of the retina.

PDR may cause more severe vision loss than NPDR because it can affect both central and peripheral vision.

How is diabetic retinopathy diagnosed?

A medical eye examination is the only way to find changes inside your eye. Our physicians at Anderson Hills Eye Care can often diagnose and treat serious retinopathy before you are aware of any vision problems. The physician dilates your pupil and looks inside of the eye with an ophthalmoscope.

If the physician finds diabetic retinopathy, he or she may order color photographs of the retina or a special test called fluorescein angiography to find out if you need treatment. In this test, a dye is injected in your arm and photos of your eye are taken to detect where fluid is leaking.

How is diabetic retinopathy treated?

The best treatment is to prevent the development of retinopathy as much as possible. Strict control of your blood sugar will significantly reduce the long-term risk of vision loss from diabetic retinopathy. If high blood pressure and kidney problems are present, they need to be treated.

Laser surgery: Laser surgery is often recommended for people with macular edema, PDR and neovascular glaucoma. For macular edema, the laser is focused on the damaged retina near the macula to decrease the fluid leakage. The main goal of treatment is to prevent further loss of vision. It is uncommon for people who have blurred vision from macular edema to recover normal vision, although some may experience partial improvement. A few people may see the laser spots near the center of their vision following treatment. The spots usually fade with time, but may not disappear.

For PDR, the laser is focused on all parts of the retina except the macula. This panretinal photocoagulation treatment causes abnormal new vessels to shrink and often prevents them from growing in the future. It also decreases the chance the vitreous bleeding or retinal distortion will occur.

Multiple laser treatments over time are sometimes necessary. Laser surgery does not cure diabetic retinopathy and does not always prevent further loss of vision.

Vision loss is largely preventable
If you have diabetes, it is important to know that today, with improved methods of diagnosis and treatment, only a small percentage of people who develop retinopathy have serious vision problems. Early detection of diabetic retinopathy is the best protection against loss of vision.

You can significantly lower your risk of vision loss by maintaining strict control of your blood sugar and visiting your ophthalmologist regularly.

When to schedule an examination

People with diabetes should schedule examinations at least once a year. More frequent medical eye examinations may be necessary after the diagnosis of diabetic retinopathy. Pregnant women with diabetes should schedule an appointment in the first trimester because retinopathy can progress quickly during pregnancy.

If you need to be examined for glasses, it is important that your blood sugar be in consistent control for several days when you see your ophthalmologist. Glasses that work well when the blood sugar is out of control will not work well when sugar is stable.

Rapid changes in blood sugar can cause fluctuating vision in both eyes even if retinopathy is not present.

You should have your eyes checked promptly if you have visual changes that:

affect only one eye
last more than a few days
are not associated with a change in blood sugar

When you are first diagnosed with diabetes, you should have your eyes checked:

within five years of the diagnosis if you are 30 years old or younger.
within a few months of the diagnosis if you are older than 30 years

Diabetic retinopathy physician Dr. David Howard, located in Cincinnati, is dedicated to providing his patients with outstanding, compassionate care while continuing a long tradition of surgical excellence.