Diabetic Eye Disease

Diabetic retinopathy is treated with laser treatment that can be performed in the clinic with no hospitalization stay. Focal laser is usually done in non-proliferative cases to slow down the leakage of fluid and reduce the amount of fluid in the retina while scatter laser shrinks the abnormal blood vessels in proliferative cases. Multiple sessions may be required to complete the treatment. This treatment has been shown to reduce risk of severe vision loss by 50%. In addition, patients with proliferative retinopathy have less than 5% chance of losing their vision within the next 5 years if they receive timely and appropriate treatment.

Surgery is only needed if there is a retinal detachment or if bleeding does not resolve spontaneously.

Diabetic eye disease can be detected through a comprehensive eye examination that includes visual acuity test, dilated retinal examination with colour retinal photography, and a high-definition scan of the retina if necessary.