Background Diabetic Retinopathy: What Is It?

Background diabetic retinopathy is the early damage to the retina caused by diabetes that isn´t being controlled as well as it should be. Some of the small blood vessels in the retina begin to swell, but in the beginning cause very little problem. In fact, many people have 20/20 vision and don´t even realize they have an eye problem.

When diabetic retinopathy is in its first stages, it is called non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy. This is when the first changes in the retina occur. The blood vessels begin to bleed and leak liquid into the retinal tissue around it. In other people the body begins to produce unhealthy blood vessels on the surface of the retina. These two problems will eventually begin to affect one´s vision.

Diabetic retinopathy symptoms are not noticeable in the beginning stages of background diabetic retinopathy. As the disease progresses the person will begin to notice spots floating in their vision, poor night vision, blurred vision, dark streaks or red film that blocks their vision and ultimately a loss of vision. Normally both eyes are affected. The lack of symptoms in the beginning is what makes diabetic retinopathy the leading cause of blindness in adults.

If you have diabetes, be wise, and do everything you can to prevent background diabetic retinopathy by being careful to control your blood sugar, and have pictures taken of your eyes on a yearly basis. Don´t wait until you begin to experience symptoms because it will most likely be too late to prevent the damage of nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy.

The information supplied in this article is not to be considered as medical advice and is for educational purposes only.