Retinopathy is a non-inflammatory disease of the retina, the membrane lining the back of the inner eye. This membrane is responsible for converting focused light images into electrical messages which are sent to the brain. Symptoms of retinopathy include sudden loss or decrease in vision or vision field, flashes of light or floating spots, all of which should prompt an immediate appointment with an eye care specialist. The most common cause of retinopathy is diabetes, causing damage to the blood vessels of the retina. There is also hypertensive retinopathy, caused by damage to retinal arteries related to high blood pressure. Sickle cell anemia can also adversely affect retinal blood vessels, as can prolonged sun exposure and certain drugs. Regular eye examinations can reveal any of these conditions and initiate a favorable plan of treatment.
A Complication of Diabetes
Diabetic individuals may develop an eye disorder commonly associated with diabetes. Almost 30 percent of diabetics in America over age forty-five have the diabetes related disorder known as diabetic retinopathy. Four percent of the diabetic population of America are affected severely enough that their vision is threatened. Diabetic retinopathy involves damage to the retina and is a leading cause of new cases of legal blindness among adults aged 20-74 years. With the incidence of rising diabetes, it is reasonable to assume that the statistics surrounding this disorder may be obsolete and outdated. It’s imperative that diabetic individuals schedule regular, comprehensive eye examinations.
Exercise and Weight Loss for the New Year
There have been more than several articles that have debated the form of exercise that targets weight loss over the last few years. This recent article helps define the benefits of weight training versus aerobic exercise.
Maintaing a good weight is important to assist in the prevention of diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease. All of which play a roll in vision loss with diabetes as the leading overall cause of blindness. Always consult your primary care physician prior to undertaking any type of new exercise regimen and we strongly recommend a professional trainer to help guide you to promote good form which helps prevent injury.
Mediterranean Diet Reduced Incidence of Diabetes
A recent medical article in the journal Diabetes Care reiterated the effectiveness of the Mediterranean diet in regard to diabetes prevention.
Vitamin D and Diabetic Eye Disease
Returning from the 2010 Academy of Ophthalmology retina sub-specialty meeting I wanted to share this summary by Medscape Medical News. This validates our testing of patients with diabetes to understand how to treat them better. We started using this metric over 5 years ago and has proven very useful.
We are currently conducting a study observing if Vitamin D supplementation will improve diabetic eye disease (diabetic retinopathy) without additional laser treatment or intra-ocular injections.
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