Diabetic Retinopathy

The leading cause of blindness in the US for working-aged adults

High blood sugar can worsen the vision by leaking blood and lipids into the retina

Patients with diabetes should check their retina health every year to prevent retinopathy from worsening

Eye dilation is necessary to carefully scan the retina for any amount of bleeding

Retinal photos have been shown to be a good screening method also

When I see mild disease, I want to tell your primary care doctor, and check the retina again in 1 year

When I see moderate disease, I want to tell your primary care doctor, and check the retina again in 3-6 months

When I see severe disease, I want to tell your primary care doctor, and send you to a retina specialist for laser treatments or injections

Vision loss from diabetes can get bad really quickly, so diligent monitoring is important

Guidelines

Within 1 year without treatment:

Up to 27% of patients with moderate NPDR progress to PDR

More than 50% of patients with severe NPDR progress to PDR

According to the American Optometric Association (AOA), you should refer patients with:

High-risk PDR with or without macular edema within 24 to 48 hours

PDR within 2 to 4 weeks

DME/clinically significant macular edema within 2 to 4 weeks

Severe NPDR within 2 to 4 weeks