Diabetic Retinopathy is an eye condition caused by diabetes. In diabetes, high sugar levels can damage the retina by slowly weakening blood vessels in the eye. At first, this causes no symptoms. However, without treatment, it can cause blindness.

Diabetic Retinopathy can take years to cause blindness. In the early stages, it is treatable. If you are a diabetic, visit your eye doctor every year. Early detection is very important and can save your eyesight!

Intravitreal injections are drugs that are injected into the eye to reduce swelling and capillary growth. Usually, the drugs belong to the “Anti-Vascular endothelial growth factor” group of medicines, so the treatment may be referred to as “Anti-VEGF” treatment. However, in some cases, steroid drugs may be injected instead.

Conditions Treated with Intravitreal Injections:

1. Macular degeneration (specifically Wet Age-related Macular Degeneration)
2. Diabetic Retinopathy
3. Retinal Vein Occlusions

Many retinal disorders involve abnormal or damaged blood vessels. These vessels may leak blood into the surrounding area, resulting in gradual vision loss. With laser treatment, the high energy light beam seals the capillaries shut. Closing the blood vessels may not restore your vision. But it can prevent the blood from leaking out of the capillaries. This stops the condition from getting any worse.

During laser treatment, a laser is used to close leaky blood vessels in the eye. It may be used to treat:

• Diabetic retinopathy
• Retinopathy of prematurity
• Macular degeneration
• Retinal vein occlusions

Vitrectomy is an eye surgery used to treat retinal diseases. It involves the clear, jelly-like fluid (vitreous) that fills the back of the eye. The vitreous gives shape to the eyeball just like air gives shape to a balloon. But in some diseases, it becomes cloudy or starts pulling on the retina. In these cases, the vitreous may need to be replaced. Vitrectomy is the surgery used to remove and replace this fluid.

Conditions treated with vitrectomy:

• Vitreous hemorrhage
• Severe eye trauma
• Diabetic Retinopathy
• Retinal Detachment
• Retinopathy of Prematurity

Retina is the light sensitive layer of tissue that lines the inside of the eye and sends visual messages through the optic nerve to the brain.  When the retina detaches, it is lifted or pulled from its normal position.  If not treated promptly, retinal detachment can cause permanent vision loss.

Key Points to Remember:

• If you have any sudden change in vision, see an eye doctor immediately!
• Low Vision Clinics an help you adjust to a life with low vision

Macular Degeneration is a condition that causes central vision loss. Central vision is what your eyes focus on when you look straight ahead. Macular Degeneration only affects central vision because it is caused by damage to the central part of the retina (called the macula). It does not affect side vision.

Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) occurs due to abnormal growth of blood vessels in an infant’s eye. During development, blood vessels grow from the central part of the retina outwards. This process is completed few weeks before the normal time of delivery. However in premature babies, it is incomplete. If blood vessels grow normally, ROP does not occur. On the contrary, if the vessels grow and branch abnormally the baby develops ROP.

The light-sensitive tissue in your eye is called the retina. It gives us the ability to see because it is made up of nerve cells that detect light. Normally, these nerve cells get nutrients from your arteries and dump waste into your veins. But if a vein is blocked, it cannot carry blood away from the retina. Instead, fluid leaks out of the vein. This is called a vein occlusion.

Causes & Risk Factors:

Retinal veins are very narrow. If a large clot tries to pass through, it can block the vein, causing vein occlusion.

The risk of vein occlusion is higher for those with:

• Diabetes
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol levels
• Health problems that affect blood flow