What is diabetic retinopathy?

  Diabetic patients have systemic microcirculatory disorders due to long-term elevated blood glucose and metabolic disorders in the body. The retinal blood vessels in the fundus of the eye are easily damaged, i.e. diabetic retinopathy occurs. Diabetic retinopathy is one of the serious complications of diabetes and one of the main causes of blindness in diabetic patients.  Epidemiological surveys have shown that approximately 75% of diabetic patients who do not pay attention to glycemic control develop diabetic retinopathy within 15 years of onset. Among diabetic patients, diabetic retinopathy occurs in more than 50% of them.  The pathological cause of the damage caused by diabetes is the damage to the microvasculature caused by hyperglycemia, which causes damage to the endothelial cells and pericytes of the retinal capillaries, resulting in the loss of the normal barrier function of the capillaries, leakage, edema and hemorrhage of the surrounding tissues, followed by occlusion of the capillaries causing retinal ischemia, lack of blood supply and nutrition, resulting in tissue necrosis and the release of neovascular growth factor and the resulting This will cause massive retinal hemorrhage and vitreous blood accumulation, resulting in proliferative vitreoretinopathy. The older the patient, the longer the disease duration, the higher the incidence of fundus. Younger patients are at greater risk than older patients, and the prognosis is often poor. If diabetes can be controlled in time, not only is the chance of occurrence less, but also the damage to the retina is less. Otherwise, retinopathy gradually worsens and recurrent hemorrhages occur, leading to proliferative retinal changes and even retinal detachment, or complications of cataract.