What is Diabetic Retinopathy?

Diabetic retinopathy is a condition that occurs when diabetes affects the blood vessels and nerve tissue in the retina.

There are two stages of diabetic retinopathy:

• Nonproliferative retinopathy is the early stage of the disease in which blood vessels swell and leak.  In some cases, this can cause macular edema (swelling of the retina) which may result in mild vision loss but can be treated.  There can also be early changes to the nerve cells in the retina that may affect vision, in part due loss of adequate blood supply.
• Proliferative retinopathy is the advanced stage where abnormal new blood vessels grow on the surface of the retina. These vessels may break and bleed into the vitreous, the clear watery gel that fills the eye, and cause severe vision loss. This stage of diabetic retinopathy typically requires urgent treatment.

While diabetic retinopathy often cannot be completely prevented, you can reduce your risk of having it develop or progress. Controlling your blood sugar slows the start of retinopathy and prevents it from getting worse. It also lessens the need for laser surgery or other procedures that treat severe retinopathy.