Retinopathy refers to a disease of the blood vessels within the retina that causes and changes their size and nature. The blood vessels may swell and leak fluid, or abnormal ones may grow over the surface of the retina and interfere with proper vision. While the presence of retinopathy may not be evident at first, over time it can worsen and lead to loss of vision.
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| Normal Retina |
Advanced Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy |
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| Very Severe Non-Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy |
Early Hemorrhage |
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| Early Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy |
Tractional Retinal Diabetic Retinopathy |
Retinopathy can accompany either hypertension or diabetes (either type 1 or type 2). Close to half the population who have been diagnosed with diabetes will have some stage of diabetic retinopathy. Hypertensive retinopathy, which can be determined during a comprehensive eye exam at Easton Eye Consultants, may be the first sign of hypertension, and occurs mostly among those middle-aged or older.
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| Normal Vision |
Vision with Diabetic Retinopathy |
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Fluorescine Angiogram of a
Normal Retina |
Fluorescine Angiogram of a
Retina with Severe Diabetes |
Hypertensive retinopathy and diabetic retinopathy, while being similar in some features, show up differently on the retina. Hypertensive retinopathy has relatively few hemorrhages and a greater number of “cotton wool” spots than diabetic retinopathy, although there is little to differentiate the two for the patient.
The earlier stages of the disease do not normally require treatment, but annual or more frequent examinations should be considered to monitor the progress of the disease. Until the disease reaches its most severe stage, it is sometimes enough to manage retinopathy by controlling the blood pressure, blood cholesterol, and blood sugar levels.
If the disease advances to the proliferative stage, it can be treated with laser surgery. Two or more sessions are needed to place the one to two thousand laser spots in the areas of the retina away from the macula, which cause the abnormal blood vessels to shrink. This treatment, called Pan Retinal Photocoagulation or simply PRP, can preserve most of your vision, but loss of side vision and reduction in night and color vision may result.
If you are concerned about either diabetic or hypertensive retinopathy, please call (508) 238-2388 to arrange for a comprehensive eye examination at Easton Eye Consultants.
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