Diabetic Retinopathy - How To Know If You Have It, And What To Do

Diabetic retinopathy is complication arising from diabetes which stems from damage to blood vessels in the retina.

Here are some of the key symptoms of diabetic retinopathy:

• Floaters (dark spots or strings floating in your vision)
• Blurred vision
• Fluctuating vision
• Dark or empty areas in your vision
• Vision loss

These are the 2 main causes of  diabetic retinopathy:

• Early diabetic retinopathy:  new blood vessels don't grow properly
• Advanced diabetic retinopathy:  damaged blood vessels close off, causing the growth of new, abnormal blood vessels in the retina

Here are the major risk factors for diabetic retinopathy:

• Having diabetes for a long time
• Poor control of your blood sugar level
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Pregnancy
• Tobacco use
• Being Black, Hispanic or Native American

More about diabetic retinopathy

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