Diabetic retinopathy is a major cause of blindness
1. What is diabetic retinopathy (DR)? Does diabetic retinopathy necessarily occur when you have diabetes? Yu Xiaobing, Ophthalmology Department, Beijing Hospital
Patients with diabetes have typical changes such as angiomas and hemorrhages in the fundus of the eye, which are confirmed by the ophthalmologist as diabetic retinopathy. With diabetes, most of them will develop retinopathy, only the time of appearance and the early or late appearance will be different.
2. How many years does retinopathy usually occur in diabetic patients?
Retinopathy usually occurs in diabetic patients within five years.
3. What is the rate of blindness in diabetic retinopathy? How long does it usually take from onset to total blindness?
If diabetes is well controlled, it will not cause blindness. However, if it is not well controlled, it can cause blindness within six months.
4. What are the specific stages of diabetic retinopathy? Is non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) a pre-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR)? What is the main distinction between NPDR and PDR?
The staging of diabetic retinopathy: non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR). nPDR is a pre-proliferative stage of PDR. The main boundary between the two is whether there is retinal neovascularization. nPDR develops severely and grows neovascularization to progress to PDR, which is prone to bleeding and seriously affects vision.
5. What is the difference between the prognosis of non-proliferative and proliferative glycoplasmic reticulum?
Of course, the prognosis of non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy is better than the other two. Early detection, early detection, early treatment.
What factors are likely to promote diabetic retinopathy
1. Some patients are found to have diabetic retinopathy, but their blood glucose is normal on annual physical exams and they deny having diabetes. Other patients are found to have diabetes for only a few months, and then they come to the ophthalmology department for fundus examination and are found to have diabetic retinopathy. Is it possible to tell that the patient has actually had the disease for a long time? Is the duration of diabetes a risk factor?
A normal blood glucose on physical examination does not mean that there is no diabetes, but a detailed examination at the endocrinology department is necessary. The duration of diabetes is one of the risk factors for retinopathy. Especially in untreated diabetes, retinopathy is obvious, which at least means that the blood sugar is very bad and the diabetes has been there for some time.
2. A patient said that his blood glucose control was quite good recently, all around 6-7 mmol/L, but the diabetic retinopathy was heavy in the fundus examination. Does this situation indicate that the short-term good glycemic control has no practical significance?
Both short-term and long-term blood glucose control are important. First, fasting blood sugar should be well controlled, and second, blood sugar after meals and at night should also be well controlled and stable. Third, blood pressure should be well controlled and stable. Poor control of the above three points will aggravate diabetic retinopathy.
3. Some patients reflected that they had hypoglycemia due to irregular medication, and diabetic retinopathy was also found in fundus examination. Is high and low blood glucose a predisposing factor?
Yes, high and low blood sugar can aggravate diabetic retinopathy and increase the risk of hemorrhage.
4. Is diabetes combined with hypertension and hyperlipidemia a risk factor for diabetic retinopathy? Why?
Blood sugar, blood pressure, and blood lipids are all factors that aggravate retinopathy. Because diabetes is a vascular disease, hypertension and hyperlipidemia can aggravate the vascular disease.
5. Does gestational diabetes promote the development of retinopathy?
Blood sugar will change during pregnancy. If the medication is adjusted according to the change of blood sugar and the blood sugar is well controlled, retinopathy will not develop.
6. What principles should diabetic patients follow in their daily life to prevent diabetic retinopathy?
Control blood sugar,, blood lipids. Check the fundus regularly and drink as little alcohol as possible.