About Diabetes & Types of Diabetes

Insulin is a hormone that produces in our bodies to regulate the way our body uses the food that we eat. When your body cannot produce enough insulin then diabetes occurs.

According to reports, one in every 25 in UK has diabetics. Mainly diabetes is classified in to two types. However there is a third type too.

1. Type 1
2. Type 2
3. GDM

Type 1 Diabetes

This is caused to an age group who are below 30 years. Again this is mainly because the body producing very little or no insulin. These patients are given insulin injections and are mainly insulin dependent.

Type 2 Diabetes

This occurs mainly in the age group of 40 or above. Apart from medication, this type of diabetes is controlled mainly by following proper diet & exercise. Patients with this type of diabetes produce insulin however it is not sufficient to regulate the food they consume.

GDM – Gestational Diabetes Mellitus

This mainly occurs to pregnant women during their 2nd or 3rd trimester of pregnancy. However, for many patients this may goes off after the pregnancy but with a complication of developing either type 1 or type 2 at later stage of life.

How Diabetic Affect Eye Sight

Diabetic Retinopathy

This is the most serious eye condition associated with diabetes. In this condition, diabetes affects the network of blood vessels supplying the retina. The blood could be blocked or even leak, chances of developing this condition is more in type 1 than type 2 diabetes.

According to reports, nearly 405 of type 1 and 20% of type 2 diabetes may develop this condition.

Maculopathy

In this condition, the patient's central vision is affected. Patients with this eye condition may not recognise faces or small print from distance. Most patients with this eye condition are treated using a laser to preserve as much vision as possible.

Background Diabetic Retinopathy

This is the common eye condition which develops in diabetic retinopathy. The blood vessels may slightly bulge and may leak blood. The vision will be normal as long as the macula is not affected. This type of eye condition is developed in many patients who had diabetes for long time.

Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy

This type of condition is developed in those patients who have diabetic retinopathy. Ischaemia is the condition new vessels grow and is known as neo-vascularisation. However, these new vessels are weak and they grow in the retina, vitreous gel. This results in large haemorrhages over the retina. The type of leak can obscure the vision.

However, the chance of developing proliferative diabetic retinopathy is only 5% to 10% in diabetic patients.

Temporary Blurring

Due to less insulin, the diabetic patients suffer with low sugar levels and due to this irregularity, blurring vision is a common eye condition. The blurring could be the first symptom of diabetes.

Cataracts

This is a common condition that occurs in as we age. Clouding of the lens of the eye is called Cataracts. However, this can be rectified by replacing it with a plastic lens. Most of the hospitals are equipped to operate this and even many hospitals monitor cataract to identify at early stages.

Before learning on the available eye treatments for diabetic patients, it would be beneficial to learn how your eye works.

How Eye Functions

When you see an object, the light passes from the front eye, and is focused by the lens on to the retina. The retina is light sensitive and is a delicate tissue. The light is focused on to macula, which is a vital part of retina as it allows seeing fine details. The light is then converted into electrical signals that transfer via optic nerve to the brain. These signals are interpreted by brain to see that object. The network of blood vessels helps supplying blood to the retina. However, in diabetic patients these vessels get damaged.

Available Eye Surgery/Treatments for Diabetics

Many of the eye problems in diabetic patients can be rectified with a variety of laser treatment or the well-known term laser eye surgery.

Pan Retinal Laser Treatment

This is an extensive laser surgery where the large portion of the retina is targeted to stop the neo-vascularisation. The successful operation helps the patient's eye to have better sight as the vessels will shrink and disappear over a period of time. As with every surgery or treatment there are some risk associated with this treatment. However, if neo-vascularisation is not treated there will be more serious damage to your eye sight which includes bleeding.

Risks

There is a chance of losing peripheral vision for permanently.

Localised Laser Eye Treatment

Only a limited area of the retina is treated in this surgery. The treatment involves in sealing the leaking vessels. There is a less risk involved in this laser surgery as the treatment is carried on very small area of the retina. The treatment is recommended for those patients who are diagnosed with early stages of proliferative retinopathy or maculopathy.

Risk

Risk of losing vision is very less in this type of laser surgery.

Vitrectomy

This is an operation for the severely affected patients, where the gel is replaced with a more clear gel. This helps the light to pass through easily.

Risk

This is more complicated surgery and the risks basically differ from patient to patient.

Is Laser Surgery Painful?

• Localised Laser treatment rarely causes any pain or discomfort.
• The pan retinal laser surgery can be painful or in other terms can be discomfort to the patients.

However, patients are advised to discuss this with their laser eye surgeon. Pain relieving tablets can reduce the pain or discomfort.

Laser Eye Surgery Side Effects

As with any surgery there are some side effects associated with the laser eye surgery, however these are very fewer than the risk of not having a laser treatment.

As discussed earlier, the side effect on your vision in a localised laser treatment is very less. In the Pan retinal laser surgery the side effects include

• Lose of peripheral vision.
• Effect on Night or colour vision
• Small print is not easy to read, at least not as easy before

Last but not least it is always better to diagnose any eye conditions at early stages. This helps in better and easy cure. Below are the some of the points that should help you better tackle the eye condition.

• Good diet control and exercise helps you maintain your sugar levels thus helps you prevent diabetes in first place.
• Early diagnosis is very important.
• Go for a regular retinal screening.
• Speak to an eye treatment doctor or diabetic eye clinic.
• Discuss all the option available for you.
• Do not miss your regular GP/Diabetic appointments.