A close look at diabetic retinopathy and diabetes related eye problems, and how these changes can effect your vision and your eyes. Blindness and other complications of diabetes mellitus are discussed in terms of the retinopathy and glaucoma.

1. How Diabetic Retinopathy Affects Your Eyes
One of the many complications of diabetes is diabetic retinopathy that affects the eyes.
As we all know, diabetes is a type of chronic health condition which affects millions and
millions of individuals every year. Anyone can develop diabetes later in life or you can
have it at an earlier stage. Basically, individuals with diabetes have a problem using
insulin the body correctly. Insulin is a very important hormone which allows the body to
regulate its blood sugar levels. And individuals who have diabetes have greater chance of
developing vision problems such as cataracts and also glaucoma. Their risk for diabetic
retinopathy is also great especially when diabetes is not treated and controlled properly.
Diabetic retinopathy is a term used to describe changes that occurs in the retina over
several years of having diabetes. The damage particularly occurs in the small vessels of
the blood and capillaries which provides nourishment to the blood that circulates around
the eyes. The damage of the retina can also affect the tissues behind the eyes which are
responsible for producing light and transferring of information to the brain.
Diabetes can also greatly affect the entire circulatory system of the body affecting the
flow of blood to the retina. During the early stage of diabetic retinopathy, the arteries of
the retina start to weaken. A person with this condition may have small hemorrhages in
his eyes because of leakage of blood from weakened arteries. Diabetic retinopathy in its
worst case can lead the person to complete loss of vision or permanent blindness.
However, this risk can be greatly reduced when diabetic retinopathy is diagnosed at an
early stage and with the right treatment.
Diabetic retinopathy can have many warning signs that may vary significantly from one
person to another. Some common symptoms may include decreased and blurry vision of
the both eyes, floaters or spotters from hemorrhaging vessels, light flashes that occurs
suddenly, appearance of spots in line of sight, sudden vision loss, and photosensitivity.
These symptoms do not occur at one time but rather depends on the severity of the
condition and overall health of an individual.
If you are a known diabetic, it is important to seek the right care from certified health
care professionals so that any problem that concerns your eyes including diabetic
retinopathy can be detected at the earliest time possible. Remember that you have the full
control of your condition as long as you have the right care provider to help you. .
© 2011 by Mark Hermes