Diabetic eye disease is a group of conditions that threaten the vision and ocular health of people with diabetes. The most common diabetic eye disease is diabetic retinopathy, which affects the retina. Diabetic patients are also more likely to develop cataracts and glaucoma. Diabetic eye diseases often go unnoticed until it
is too late to reverse vision loss. For this reason, the team at San Diego Eye Care Center encourages anyone with diabetes to have annual eye exams to screen for signs of a problem. Catching diabetic eye disease early makes it easier to prevent or delay vision loss and cuts the risk of blindness by 95 percent.
There are several ways to manage and treat diabetic retinopathy, depending on the stage. Some of these therapies can be combined if needed.
Anti-VEGF drugs are helpful in controlling diabetic retinopathy. These drugs block a protein called VEGF that triggers the growth of new abnormal blood vessels. Anti-VEGF injection therapy reverses the blood vessel growth and decreases fluid in the retina. Monthly treatment is recommended at the beginning, and gradually the frequency of treatments is reduced. Steroid injections are another useful way to reduce swelling
Laser surgery can be performed as needed to seal off the leaking blood vessels or shrink them.
Another option is vitrectomy, or the surgical removal of the eye's vitreous gel, leaking blood vessels and scar tissue. The vitreous gel is then replaced with a salt solution.