Gurjeet Jutley - Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon

Diabetic Retinopathy – What You Need to Know MAY, 2019 Diabetic Retinopathy is a complication of diabetes that affects the eyes. High blood sugar levels associated with diabetes causes damage to the blood vessels in the retina (the part of your eyes that is sensitive to light). At first, this may cause no symptoms or only mild vision problems, but as the disease progresses this can lead to blindness if undiagnosed and left untreated. In this article, Gurjeet Jutley explains who is at risk of developing diabetic retinopathy, how to spot the symptoms, how you can prevent developing the disease and finally how diabetic retinopathy can be treated. What causes diabetic retinopathy? To reiterate, diabetic retinopathy is caused by too much sugar in your bloodstream. This can block the blood vessels which lead to your retina (the light-receiving part of your eye) and prevent it from receiving the blood flow it needs. This causes your body to generate new blood vessels in...