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Diabetic Retinopathy

Symptoms : Although diabetic retinopathy can severely damage your vision, it is not painful. In fact, the early form of diabetic retinopathy called non-proliferative or background retinopathy often produces no symptoms.

If non-proliferative or background retinopathy leads to macular edema, you may notice a gradual blurring of your vision, and have difficulty doing close work such as reading. If the abnormal blood vessels associated with proliferative retinopathy bleed, vision may become spotty, hazy, or disappear completely.

However, because diabetic retinopathy often causes no symptoms even in advanced cases it is extremely important to have a yearly dilated eye exam by an ophthalmologist. Diabetic retinopathy can be treated, and vision loss prevented if it is caught early enough.

Mild Diabetic Retinopathy

Moderate Diabetic Retinopathy

Treatment: Laser photocoagulation is one of the most common treatments for diabetic retinopathy. In this kind of surgery, short spots of the laser's beam are directed at the retina to seal leaking blood vessels. Laser treatment is not a "cure all" –the doctor cannot be certain that your vision will remain good-but the treatment works best at [preventing damage before you have actually noticed any problems with vision.

Diabetic Retinopathy Prelaser

Diabetic Retinopathy Postlaser

The laser beam spots can also be scattered through the sides of the retina to reduce abnormal blood vessel growth (neovascularization) and help seal the retina to the back of the eye.

Possible Complications

As with all surgery, there are risks associated with surgery for diabetic eye conditions. Complications are unusual, but can include: