Surrey Association for Visual Impairment. Making a visible difference in Surrey.
Diabetic Retinopathy
Above: Blotchy image when looking at cars in a car park
Diabetic Retinopathy is a condition that people who have diabetes may develop.
It occurs because the blood vessels lying within the retina become affected by the diabetes. In early stages the vessels may bulge slightly and leak blood or fluid into the vitreous gel, a clear jelly like substance that holds the eye shape. At this stage there is no threat to your sight. But if it does become worse, the blood vessels in the retina can become blocked and new blood vessels form in the eye to try and repair the damage.
Unfortunately, the new blood vessels are weak and grow on the surface of the retina and into the gel. These vessels can bleed easily and cause scar tissue to form in the eye. This scarring can pull the retina out of position and cause retinal detachment.
The effects of this condition on your sight can vary, as with many eye conditions. It can become blurred and patchy as parts of your vision are obscured by the floating blood. The image at the top of the page represents what a person may see when this happens. This condition does need treatment, as total loss of vision may happen. It is important to visit your optician regularly, particularly if you have diabetes as treatment can prevent sight threatening problems if caught early enough, although laser treatment will not restore vision already lost.
If you have floaters in your eyes (spots and web like images) you need to mention this to your opticians especially if this is a sudden change in your vision.
For information from other organisations about this and other conditions, follow this link to our Links page on eye conditions.
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