Diabetes mellitus is a group of metabolic diseases characterized by hyperglycemia due to defective insulin secretion or impaired insulin action. Most people are familiar with complications such as diabetic nephropathy, but most people know very little about diabetes leading to eye complications. In fact, diabetic retinopathy is a high percentage of eye diseases and can cause severe vision loss. Retinopathy caused by diabetes is the main blinding disease. Many diabetic patients tend to go to the hospital only when eye symptoms appear, so that a significant percentage of patients are not seen in a timely manner and are negligent, only to be left blind for life and unable to care for themselves. 1. How does diabetic retinopathy occur? Diabetic retinopathy is one of the most common and serious microvascular complications of diabetes mellitus, and is a reflection of diabetic metabolic disorders and damage to the endocrine and blood systems in the retina, the incidence of which increases with the development of diabetes mellitus. In the early stages, the
As diabetes is characterized by an increase in blood glucose concentration. The abnormal tissue oxygenation that occurs in diabetic patients causes altered microvascular function and leads to retinal vasodilatation. Long-term vasodilatation leads to microaneurysms and abnormal changes in vascular structure, which then lead to narrowing of the vascular lumen and altered blood flow, promoting retinal ischemia and neovascularization in the later stages of diabetic retinopathy. Because the neovascularization is thin and brittle, it is easy to bleed, which can cause loss of vitreous integrity and trigger tractional retinal detachment, and at the same time impair visual function, leading to vision loss and even blindness. 2, so how can we effectively prevent the occurrence of diabetic retinopathy? First of all, diabetic patients should closely monitor their blood sugar, adjust the amount and type of food they eat according to their fasting and postprandial blood sugar, control their blood sugar under the guidance of an internist, and strengthen aerobic exercise. In addition, raise awareness of self-protection of the eyes and self-testing. Regular eye examinations, early detection of eye lesions and timely symptomatic treatment are the only effective ways to prevent the development of diabetic retinopathy and prevent blindness. Since the damage of diabetic retinopathy is irreversible, early prevention is the most important aspect. Therefore, it is recommended that diabetic patients should not only go for regular medical checkups, but also visit the ophthalmology department at least 1-2 times a year to make early detection of diabetic retinopathy and early treatment as possible, to maximize the fundamental measures to protect their vision. However, if diabetic patients are not detected or treated in a timely manner and their blood sugar is not well controlled, diabetic retinopathy, or diabetic eye disease as we call it, will occur in the long run. Fluorescence fundoscopy can detect early retinopathy in diabetic patients, and fundus laser can effectively control neovascular hemorrhage and slow down the development of diabetic retinopathy.