Diabetic retinopathy

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Slit-lamp exam

Overview

Symptoms

Treatment

Prevention

Diabetic retinopathy

Alternative Names:

Retinopathy - diabetic

Symptoms:

One of the first symptoms of diabetic retinopathy is poor night vision. Other symptoms include:

"Floaters" (spots in front of one's eyes)
Blurred vision
Blindness

However, many people have no symptoms before major bleeding occurs in the eye. This is why everyone with diabetes should have regular eye exams.

Signs and tests:

In nearly all cases, diabetic retinopathy can be diagnosed with an eye exam. A retinal photography test may also be used.

References:

Sydorova M, Lee MS. Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Levels in Vitreous and Serum of Patients with either Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy or Proliferative Vitreoretinopathy. Ophthalmic Res. 2005 Jun 29;37(4):188-190.

Singerman L. Findings of the Phase 2 Trial of the Safety and Efficacy of Pegaptanib Sodium (Macugen™) in Patients With Diabetic Macular Edema. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2005;46: E-Abstract 4674.

Rosenblatt RJ, Benson WJ. Diabetic Retinopathy. In: Yanoff M, ed. Opthalmology. 2nd ed. St. Louis, MO: Mosby; 2004;877-887.

Review Date: 8/11/2005
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.

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