Diabetic retinopathy is a possible complication of diabetes. Basically, diabetic retinopathy means that a blood clot develops in the eye's retina. This complication is caused by the abnormally high sugar levels within a diabetic's body. The major concern with diabetic retinopathy is that it can lead to a permanent loss of vision. So it's important to recognize that it's developing as early as possible.

What Are The Symptoms?

It's not always easy to recognize the symptoms of diabetic retinopathy in the early stages, but there are some warning signs that you should look out for. These include:

# Dots of blood floating in your line of vision
# Bleeding in your eyes from a hemorrhage. This often occurs after sleep
# Periodic or permanent swelling of the retina
# Vision impairment, which can include blurred vision after some of the other symptoms have disappeared
# Total vision loss

The frustrating part is that so many of these symptoms also occur in other eye conditions. They may also only occur periodically, so the diabetic patient may dismiss them as not being important or serious. However if you do experience any of these symptoms and you have diabetes, it's important to talk to a medical professional as quickly as possible.

How Is Diabetic Retinopathy Detected?

It's not enough to guess that you have diabetic retinopathy just because you have some of the symptoms. You could be wrong. You need to undergo a variety of tests to determine whether or not the symptoms you are experiencing are in fact caused by diabetic retinopathy, or some other issue. Some tests include:

# Vision check using an eye chart test. It's good to have this done regularly, to note any recent, substantial changes.
# A check of the pressure levels within the eye, known as a tonometry.
# Physical eye inspection, usually conducted after the insertion of eye drops that help to widen your eyes.

Can Diabetic Retinopathy Be Treated?

Recent developments in laser technology have made it possible for diabetic retinopathy to be treated with focal laser treatment. A highly focused beam of light is used to destroy the blood clots, and to correct the blood vessels in the patient's retina. Although effective, it only cures the retinopathy problem.

So although diabetic retinopathy is often treatable, diabetes is another issue and requires ongoing treatment and care. Watching what you eat is of utmost importance, to help prevent the buildup of sugar and glucose in your system