How Diabetic Retinopathy Develops

As your optometrist in Burleson, TX, we want to stress the importance of avoiding diabetic retinopathy as much as possible. Early detection can have a dramatic impact on the eventual outcome, so visiting your optometrist often is a major factor in enjoying great vision your entire life. Here is some helpful information on how diabetic retinopathy develops so you can visit us as soon as you become aware of anything amiss.

Stages of Diabetic Retinopathy

Diabetic retinopathy develops and worsens gradually, in stages. Each stage may be detected by an astute eye care professional.

Stage 1: Mild Nonproliferative Retinopathy

This is where small areas of balloon-like swelling called microaneurysms occur in the retina’s blood vessels. These might leak fluid into the retina, but at this stage, vision is typically unaffected. Note that this stage may be mistaken for simply having chronic red eyes.

Stage 2: Moderate Nonproliferative Retinopathy

As diabetic retinopathy worsens, the blood vessels that feed the retina become blocked to the point where vision is affected. The blockage restricts the blood supply to the retina, leading to even more significant leakage of blood and fluid. At this stage, there may be some blurriness of vision, particularly in the central vision area.

Stage 3: Severe Nonproliferative Retinopathy

In this advanced stage, a larger number of blood vessels become blocked, depriving several areas of the retina of their blood supply. These deprived areas send signals to the retina to grow new blood vessels.

Stage 4: Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy

This last stage involves the growth of new, abnormal blood vessels. These new vessels are delicate and vulnerable to bleeding. Scar tissue formed from this process can cause the retina to detach from the back of the eye, leading to severe vision loss and potential blindness.

There’s no reason why this disease needs to progress through all four stages, especially when you’re under the care of an optometrist. If you have diabetes, visiting your eye doctor more often is an important step you can take to help ensure the ongoing health of your eyes.

By now you realize the importance of early detection of diabetic retinopathy. You can schedule yourself for diabetic exams in Burleson, TX at Vision Plaza. Contact us to book your appointment today!