Dr. Carlos Javier Ruiz Lapuente is an ophthalmologist and belongs to Top Doctors, the select circle of top doctors in Spain. As an expert in diabetic retinopathy, he will explain the details of its treatment and surgery.
What is diabetic retinopathy?
Diabetic retinopathy is a group of diseases characterized by the difficulty of circulation in the center of the retina, especially. This difficulty will cause bleeding or transfer of liquids or cholesterol to the central part of the retina. In the latter case, we would speak of exudative diabetic retinopathy, very typical of the elderly. These alterations are one of the main causes of vision loss in the western world.
What are the symptoms?
One of the problems that diabetic retinopathy has been causing us is its late diagnosis. For this reason, resources have long been mobilized for early diagnosis. Therefore, the first phase of diabetic retinopathy can be perfectly asymptomatic, evolving the ocular lesions to more advanced phases in which the treatment will be more complex. The symptoms are generally blurred vision or total vision loss in the case of young diabetics with type 1 diabetes.
What does the treatment consist of?
The treatment of the different types of diabetic retinopathy and in its different phases has evolved radically in the last 10 years. The axis of the treatment is again the laser, which is a light modality that, when applied and focused on certain points, can allow us either to regenerate the flow of fluids through it or to eliminate defective tissue that is generating what we call growth factors in the vessels. Diabetic retinopathy has also been improved by the influx of new types of treatment with intra-ocular infiltrations, which are generally cortisone or can also be of the so-called “anti vegf”, which link with the previously mentioned laser treatment and complement each other to finally determine that diabetic retinopathies in their different forms, have ceased to be the first cause of vision loss in developed countries.
What does surgery consist of?
Surgery has a complementary value to treatment with infiltrations or laser, which are the standard treatment for diabetic retinopathy. Surgery may also be necessary to accompany, with other cataract or glaucoma surgery measures, those other diseases that accompany diabetic retinopathy. Finally, diabetic retinopathy and the formation of membranes in the central part of the retina should be treated with the technique called vitrectomy. In all ocular surgery techniques, single-use instruments should be used.
What care should a person with diabetes have?
A person with diabetes should follow the instructions of his or her endocrinologist and family physician. Fundamentally, this refers to lifestyle, which should incorporate some physical exercise, adapted to the patient’s age and condition, and finally, to dietary and procedural advice regarding the patient’s endocrinological management.