Eye Complications

One of the common complications of diabetes is an eye problem called retinopathy. The retina is like the body’s camera, forming the visual picture of what we see.

In retinopathy the tiny blood carrying capillaries in the eyes become damaged. Because the capillary walls are weak, they bulge, they leak, and sometimes they even burst and bleed. This fluid may collect and cause swelling in the retina. This alone does not usually interfere with a person’s vision.

In some people, however, the condition becomes much worse, as they get what is called proliferative retinopathy. As some capillaries become blocked, new capillaries begin to form in and around the retina. In proliferative retinopathy, the capillaries proliferate, or push in to the vitreous, the fluid filled center of the eye. There they may break and cause bleeding which result in blindness.

Fortunately, only about 5 percent of diabetics will have such as advanced case of retinopathy that they will actually have any real loss of vision. Even so, retinopathy is the greatest cause of new cases of blindness among adults between the ages of 20 and 74.

Often diabetes is first diagnosed when a person goes to see a physician for eye troubles and finds that he already has retinopathy. By the time a doctor can see evidence of retinopathy, however, the person has likely had diabetes for several years already.

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