However, if you experience one or more of these symptoms, contact your eye doctor for a complete exam. In many cases treatment for diabetic retinopathy is not necessary, but you will need to continue having regular eye exams. For example, strict control of blood sugar levels can reduce or prevent diabetic retinopathy. In other cases, treatment is recommended to stop the damage of diabetic retinopathy and improve sight. The ophthalmologist will consider your age, medical history, lifestyle, and the amount of retinal damage before making a decision to treat or not.
Laser surgery is often helpful in treating diabetic retinopathy.
A powerful beam of laser light is focused on the damaged retina and many small bursts of the laser's beam are used to seal leaking retinal vessels to reduce macular edema. This is called photocoagulation. The small laser scars that result will reduce abnormal blood vessel growth and help bond the retina to the back of the eye, thus preventing retinal detachment. Laser surgery may be performed in your ophthalmologist's office or in an out-patient clinic. If diabetic retinopathy is detected early, laser surgery will slow down loss of vision.