Diabetic retinopathy

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Slit-lamp exam

Diabetic retinopathy is progressive damage to the eye's retina caused by long-term diabetes. It can cause blindness.

Retinopathy - diabetic

Diabetic retinopathy is caused by damage to blood vessels of the retina, the light-sensitive outer layer of the eye. It is classified as non-proliferative or proliferative.

• Non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy is the early stage of the disease and is less severe. The existing blood vessels in the eye start to leak fluid into the retina, which leads to blurred vision.
• Proliferative retinopathy is the more advanced form of the disease, and more severe. New blood vessels start to grown within the eye. These new vessels are fragile and can bleed (hemorrhage), which may cause vision loss and retinal scarring. 

Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness in working-age Americans. People with both type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes are at risk for this condition.

The likelihood and severity of retinopathy increase the longer you have diabetes, and is likely to occur earlier and be more severe if your diabetes is poorly controlled. Almost everyone who has had diabetes for more than 30 years will show signs of diabetic retinopathy.

Review Date: 08/11/2005
Reviewed By: Edward B. Feinberg, MD, MPH, Professor and Chair, Department of Ophthalmology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.