Diabetic Retinopathy

Diabetes is a disease in which the body cannot store sugar in the body's cells.

This condition can cause many health problems. Too much sugar that stays in the blood and doesn't enter the cells can cause damage to blood vessels throughout the body, including the blood vessels in the eye.

Many people are diagnosed with diabetes every day, and one of the most common damages from the disease is Retinopathy Diabetic. This is an eye condition that results from damage to the blood system in the retina (the inner back layer of the eye, whose function is to convert light into a nerve message that is transmitted to the brain for image processing.)

• Symptoms often appear in ongoing states of diabetes.
• Blurred vision occurs for two reasons: edema in the center of vision (the macula)
• Black spots due to leakage of fragile blood vessels in the retina (Proliferative diabetic retinopathy)
• Seeing "flies" (floaters) moving inside the eye.
• Difficulty seeing things on a certain side of the visual field due to damage to blood vessels that carry blood to different areas of the retina.

Unlike macular degeneration, for example, which affects only the center of vision, diabetic retinopathy is not limited to the center and can affect any area of the retina or the entire center of vision, causing a significant decrease in vision and difficulty performing daily activities.

Medical treatments: Laser treatments - to block the leakage points and retinal destruction. The treatment itself damages some of the ocular tissue and thus vision.

• Injection of medication (VEGF) for rapid absorption of the fluid that accumulates in the center of vision.
• Treating and balancing diabetes itself to prevent further vision loss.

What to look for in a diabetic retinopathy aid

People with poor vision due to diabetic retinopathy report blurring, black spots in the field of vision, and darkened vision.

Sometimes they can only see from certain areas where there are no black spots.

The type of accessory depends on the visual purpose and the person's visual acuity..

If it is an accessory for watching television, we will try fitting a FULL DIAMETER telescope. A telescope with a relatively large field of view that is adapted for stationary operation such as television, a movie, watching a sporting event or facial recognition.

If it is about reading, we will add strong, focused built-in or external lighting to the strong magnification.

There are stationary systems such as stationary TMS or VR TMS – mounted on the face.

A solution adapted for reading outside the home could be a magnifying glass or a portable TMS.

Sometimes filters in certain shades are needed that provide contrast, increase the sensation of light, and prevent glare, or prisms to focus vision on the best visual area on the retina.

 These are just a few of the solutions that can be adapted.

For an accurate fit for the correct accessory, it is extremely important to have a fitting examination with an optometrist who specializes in low vision.