Treatments for Diabetic Retinopathy

Treatments for Diabetic Retinopathy: The main treatment for serious retina problems is laser eye surgery (called "laser photocoagulation") where the blood vessels in the back of the eye are seared shut to prevent bleeding.

Another more radical form of treatment is called "vitrectomy", where the vitreous fluid of the eye is replaced with another substance. This is usually used in only more severe cases.

Treatment list for Diabetic Retinopathy: The list of treatments mentioned in various sources for Diabetic Retinopathy includes the following list. Always seek professional medical advice about any treatment or change in treatment plans.

Control blood sugars
Quit smoking
Control blood pressure
Laser eye surgery
Laser photocoagulation
Scatter photocoagulation or panretinal photo-coagulation
Focal photocoagulation - a focused attack on certain retinal areas.
Retinal reattachment - A surgical procedure to reattach the retina wholly or partially, if it has become detached from the back of the eye.
Vitrectomy

Treatments of Diabetic Retinopathy discussion: First, keep your blood sugar and blood pressure as close to normal as you can.

Your eye doctor may suggest laser treatment, which is when a light beam is aimed into the retina of the damaged eye. The beam closes off leaking blood vessels. It may stop blood and fluid from leaking into the vitreous. Laser treatment may slow the loss of sight.

If a lot of blood has leaked into your vitreous and your sight is poor, your eye doctor might suggest you have surgery called a vitrectomy (vih-TREK-toh-mee). A vitrectomy removes blood and fluids from the vitreous of your eye. Then clean fluid is put back into the eye. The surgery often makes your eyesight better. ¹

Your eye care professional may suggest laser surgery in which a strong light beam is aimed onto the retina to shrink the abnormal vessels. Laser surgery has been proved to reduce the risk of severe vision loss from this type of diabetic retinopathy by 60 percent.²

There are two treatments for diabetic retinopathy. They are very effective in reducing vision loss from this disease. In fact, even people with advanced retinopathy have a 90 percent chance of keeping their vision when they get treatment before the retina is severely damaged.

These two treatments are laser surgery and vitrectomy. It is important to note that although these treatments are very successful, they do not cure diabetic retinopathy.³

Rather than focus the light on a single spot, your eye care professional will make hundreds of small laser burns away from the center of the retina. This is called scatter laser treatment. The treatment shrinks the abnormal blood vessels. You will lose some of your side vision after this surgery to save the rest of your sight. Laser surgery may also slightly reduce your color and night vision.³

Instead of laser surgery, you may need an eye operation called a vitrectomy to restore your sight. A vitrectomy is performed if you have a lot of blood in the vitreous. It involves removing the cloudy vitreous and replacing it with a salt solution. Because the vitreous is mostly water, you will notice no change between the salt solution and the normal vitreous.

Studies show that people who have a vitrectomy soon after a large hemorrhage are more likely to protect their vision than someone who waits to have the operation.

Early vitrectomy is especially effective in people with insulin-dependent diabetes, who may be at greater risk of blindness from a hemorrhage into the eye.

Vitrectomy is often done under local anesthesia. This means that you will be awake during the operation. The doctor makes a tiny incision in the sclera, or white of the eye. Next, a small instrument is placed into the eye. It removes the vitreous and inserts the salt solution into the eye.

You may be able to return home soon after the vitrectomy. Or, you may be asked to stay in the hospital overnight. Your eye will be red and sensitive. After the operation, you will need to wear an eyepatch for a few days or weeks to protect the eye. You will also need to use medicated eye drops to protect against infection.³

Footnotes:
1. excerpt from Keep your eyes healthy: NIDDK
2. excerpt from Are You at Risk for Diabetic Eye Disease: NEI
3. excerpt from Facts About Diabetic Retinopathy: NEI

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