What is it?
Diabetic Retinopathy is a condition that affects the eyes of an uncontrolled diabetic. As the glucose in the blood increases, it leads to blockages in the tiny blood vessels within the eye that supplies oxygen to the retina.
In a later post, I will attempted to explain:
WHY THE HECK BLOOD PRESSURE INCREASES AS BLOOD GLUCOSE GOES UP!
Hint: Go take a look at how sugar syrup behaves when it is flowing.
Anyway, as these little blood vessels get blocked and choked, the eye will attempt to grow new blood vessels to supply oxygen to the retina through a process call Angiogenesis. Angio meaning blood vessels and genesis meaning birth. The issue with these new blood vessels is… Its weak and will leak.
Stages of Diabetic Retinopathy in Singapore’s healthcare system.
Mild
At this stage, call nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR). A mouthful, yes. In short:
WAKE UP AND START CHANGING YOUR LIFESTYLE, YOU STILL CAN DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.
It means that the new blood vessels have started growing but it is still at its infancy and bringing glucose down will likely stop it from progressing any further.
Moderate
At his stage, the retinopathy has started to proliferate, grow outwards, and has started leaking more fluids and blood into your vitreous jelly, that clear jelly thingie when you open up and fish eye if you eat them. Simply put:
STILL NOT WAKING UP?! GOOD LUCK.
Your doctor will most likely prescribe a treatment call photo-coagulation at this point to close off leaking vessels. Trust me, if your doctor can prescribe you non-invasive treatments, he/she most likely will.
Photo-coagulation is the process which the doctor shoots laser beams into your eyes to burn and seal the blood vessels. Pew pew pew!
Severe, the stage where I was in.
At this stage, scarring tissue starts to form from the bleeding and the scarring tissue pushes your retina out of the place where it is suppose to sit on, a condition called retina detachment. Explains the crumpled vision on the sides as mentioned in my previous post. Simply put:
YOU’RE SCREWED.
The only thing the doctor can do is to bring you into the Operating Theatre, poke 3 needles into your eyes and start removing the scarring tissue and blood. Then the doctor will use an intraocular laser to burn off the blood vessels that are leaking. Yes, the doctor sticks a laser gun into your eye and starts to PEW PEW PEW in there.
After all the laser renovation, the doctor will inject an air bubble, or silicone oil into your eye to hold your retina in place, at the back of your eye. And yes, those clever people who guessed it, you need to be on your belly for 23hours a day for a month to save your eyesight.
After that, he will stitch you up and tell you you are done.
Did I mention that you will be awake throughout this? And how do I know? BECAUSE I’VE BEEN THROUGH IT.
How do I know it is happening? Surely I can see it, its in my eyes!
Do you think your doctor make you go back to them to check your eyes because they need to make your money?
See, bad news it, you will absolutely not detect anything. Without the doctor looking at your retina and the vessels growth, there’s not a chance you will know that you have it. Period. Follow up with your doctor’s appointments for your eye checks.
Prevention
For heaven’s sake, in order to prevent or solve a problem, acknowledge that you have a problem.
If your glucose is high, fix it. Your doctors only know medicine. Your dietician and nutritionist knows what they are taught. If it works for you, use it. If not, there are other ways.
I nearly let diabetes take away my sight and it still has permanent effects on it. Don’t walk my path.
This path I walked is not what others should follow. 