Damage to the blood vessels in the retina, the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye, results in the diabetes complication known as diabetic retinopathy.
Anyone with type 1 or type 2 diabetes is susceptible to developing diabetic retinopathy, which can initially cause no symptoms or only mild vision issues before progressing to the point where it can result in blindness.
Symptoms
The following symptoms of diabetic retinopathy:
floaters are spots or dark strings that appear in your vision.
· Blurred vision
· Fluctuating vision
· Impaired color vision
Visually vacant or indistinct spaces
· Vision loss
Both eyes are typically affected by diabetic retinopathy.
Causes
The tiny blood vessels that feed the retina can become blocked over time from having too much sugar in your blood, cutting off the retina’s blood supply, causing the eye to try to grow new blood vessels, but these blood vessels don’t develop properly and can leak easily.
Diabetic retinopathy comes in two different forms:
·Early diabetic retinopathy.Nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR), the more prevalent form, is characterized by the absence of new blood vessel growth (proliferation).
Small bulges (microaneurysms) protrude from the retinal blood vessels’ weakening walls in NPDR, which can also cause larger retinal blood vessels to enlarge and develop irregular diameters. NPDR can range in severity from mild to severe as more blood vessels become blocked.
The central region of the retina (macula) may occasionally start to swell (macular edema), a condition that needs to be treated, and nerve fibers in the retina may start to swell as well.
·Advanced diabetic retinopathy.Proliferative diabetic retinopathy, a more severe form of diabetic retinopathy, is caused when damaged blood vessels close off, leading to the development of new, abnormal blood vessels in the retina. These blood vessels may also leak into the vitreous, the clear, jelly-like substance that fills the center of your eye.
If the new blood vessels obstruct the regular flow of fluid from the eye, pressure may build up in the eyeball, which can harm the nerve that transmits images from the eye to the brain (optic nerve), leading to glaucoma. Eventually, scar tissue induced by the growth of new blood vessels may cause the retina to separate from the back of your eye.
Risk factors
Diabetic retinopathy is a condition of the eyes that can happen to anyone with diabetes and is more likely to occur for the following reasons:
Duration of diabetes — diabetic retinopathy risk increases with the length of diabetes.
Ineffective blood sugar management
· High blood pressure
· High cholesterol
· Pregnancy
· Tobacco use
Having an American Indian, Hispanic, or African-American ancestry.
Complications
Complications from diabetic retinopathy can cause serious vision issues because it involves the abnormal growth of blood vessels in the retina:
·Vitreous hemorrhage.If the bleeding is mild, you might only notice a few dark spots (floaters), but in more severe cases, blood can fill the vitreous cavity and completely obstruct your vision. The new blood vessels may bleed into the clear, jelly-like substance that fills the center of your eye.
Without retinal damage, your vision may return to its previous clarity after a vitreous hemorrhage, as the blood usually leaves the eye within a few weeks or months.
·Retinal detachment.It may result in floating spots in your vision, light flashes, or severe vision loss because the abnormal blood vessels linked to diabetic retinopathy stimulate the growth of scar tissue.
·Glaucoma.The nerve that transmits images from your eye to your brain (the optic nerve) may be harmed if new blood vessels develop in the front of your eye and obstruct the normal drainage of fluid from your eye, resulting in glaucoma.
·Blindness.Complete vision loss may eventually result from glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, or both.
HOMOEOPATHIC REMEDIES
There are many effective medicines available in homoeopathy for diabetic retinopathy, but the choice depends on the individuality of the patient, taking mental and physiological factors into account. Homoeopathy is a rapidly expanding system that is practiced all over the world. Its strength lies in its evident effectiveness as it takes a holistic approach towards the sick individual.
ARNICA MONTANA:Right eye protrudes and appears larger than left. Bloodshot. Double vision from trauma and retinal hemorrhage. Bruised, sore feeling in the yes after close work. Tired and heavy after sightseeing and watching moving pictures. Must keep eyes open. Feels dizzy on closing them. Photophobia. High objects lean forward and about to fall.
BELLADONNA:When lying down, there is a deep throbbing in the eyes. The eyes feel swollen and protruding. The pupils are dilated. The eyes are brilliant and staring. The conjunctiva is red, dry, and burning. There is photophobia. There are attacks of blindness and yellow vision. The eyes feel as though they are half closed. When reading, the lines are crooked.
LACHESIS:Dim sight. Unsteady look. Rolling vacant eyes. Feels as if eyes were forced out on pressing the throat. Defective vision following diphtheria. Extrinsic muscles too weak to maintain focus.
PHOSPHORUS:Edema of lids and about eyes. Pearly white conjunctiva and long curved lashes. Double vision caused by deviation of the visual axis. Partial loss of vision. Narrow field of vision. Eyeballs feel large and stiff. Choroiditis. Fatigue of eyes and head even without much use of the eyes.
PHYSOSTIGMA:Eyelids that are tense and can’t be closed or opened. Photophobia. Night blindness. Vision trembling. Muscae volitantes, flashes of light. Bloodshot eyes with burning. Astigmatism. Glaucoma. Contraction of pupils. Profound lachrymation. Spasm of ciliary muscles with irritability after using the eyes.
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