Diabetic Retinopathy Diabetes is a condition that renders the body unable to use and store sugar properly. For those people who have been diagnosed with having diabetes, they are already aware of how this condition can affect their health. Being tired or thirsty, having to urinate frequently, confusion and disorientation when the blood glucose is abnormal are all common symptoms of this condition. The effect that diabetes has on your health can go beyond these symptoms.
Diabetic retinopathy is a complication of diabetes and is one of the leading causes of blindness.
Diabetic retinopathy is a complication of diabetes that is caused by changes in the blood vessels of the eye. These blood vessels are attached to the retina, the nerve layer located at the back of the eye. When the blood vessels in the retina go through changes caused by diabetes they can be damaged. Damaged blood vessels are fragile and may leak fluid or blood creating scar tissue. This can blur or distort vision and possibly cause blindness if not treated.