Diabetic retinopathy: What is diabetic retinopathy

What is diabetic retinopathy ? Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a serious eye disease that can affect people with diabetes mellitus. It occurs when high levels of glucose (sugar) in the blood cause changes to the network of blood vessels located in the retina. These changes can damage the retina, leading to vision loss and blindness. This booklet is for people with diabetic retinopathy and their families and friends. It provides information about diabetic retinopathy and answers questions about the cause and symptoms of this progressive eye disease. Diagnosis and types of treatment are described. Diabetic retinopathy (also known as diabetic eye disease) is a medical condition in which damage occurs to the retina due to diabetes . It is a leading cause of blindness in developed countries and one of the leading causes of sight loss in the world, even though there are many new therapies and improved treatments for helping people live with diabetes . [4] Diabetic retinopathy affects up to 80 percent of those who have had both type 1 and type 2 diabetes for 20 years or more [citation needed ... Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of visual loss in adults of the working-age group in the western population. It is the most common microvascular complication of diabetes mellitus. Diabetic retinopathy may lead to vision-threatening damage to the retina, eventually leading to blindness.