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When you have diabetes,
your body does not use or store sugar properly.
This can cause changes
in the vessels that carry blood throughout your body,
including your eyes.
These blood vessel changes can damage your eyes' retina,
harming your vision.
This eye disease is called diabetic retinopathy.
Your ophthalmologist has chosen
to treat your diabetic eye disease
with laser surgery.
This treatment can help slow the progression
of your diabetic eye disease, and save your sight.
To understand how diabetic eye disease affects your vision,
let's take a look at how the eye works.
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Light rays enter the eye
through the cornea, pupil, and lens.
These light rays are focused on the retina,
the light-sensitive tissue lining the back of the eye.
The retina has two areas, the peripheral retina,
which gives us our side, or wide-angle vision,
and the macula,
the small area at the center of the retina.
The macula gives us our pinpoint vision,
allowing us to see detail clearly.
Proliferative diabetic retinopathy, or PDR,
is a stage of diabetic eye disease
where abnormal blood vessels
begin to grow on the surface of the retina.
This is called neovascularization.
With PDR, many blood vessels in the retina close off,
keeping blood from flowing properly to the retina.
The retina responds to this problem
by trying to grow new blood vessels.
However, these new, abnormal vessels
do not provide proper blood flow.
They can also bleed, as well as lead to scar tissue,
which may cause the retina to wrinkle
or even detach from the back of the eye.
If similar vessels grow abnormally
in the front of the eye,
they can block the drainage channels of the eye
and cause high pressure, and possibly glaucoma.
Both your central and side vision
can be affected by PDR.
Your ophthalmologist has recommended
a form of laser treatment called
pan-retinal laser photocoagulation, or PRP.
It is also known as scatter photocoagulation.
This laser treatment helps stop
abnormal blood vessels from growing and bleeding.
PRP is usually performed in the office
and generally takes around 15 minutes.
An anesthetic is used to numb your eye,
and a special contact lens is placed on your eye
to help keep it from moving and to focus the laser.
It is important to keep your eyes as still as possible
during the treatment.
With PRP laser treatment for diabetic eye disease,
a laser is targeted at many spots
all around the periphery of the retina,
avoiding the central macula.
Many small burns are made to the retina.
This treatment causes the blood vessels to shrink,
and often prevents them from growing again in the future.
It also decreases the chances of blood vessels bleeding.
In some cases,
multiple laser treatments may be necessary.
As with any medication or procedure,
there are risks of side effects
and complications with PRP laser surgery.
These may include temporary pain,
decreased night vision,
blind spots in your peripheral, or side vision,
loss of central vision,
retinal bleeding,
retinal scar tissue,
and continued abnormal blood vessel growth or bleeding,
which may require additional treatment.
Other treatment options may be available
for your diabetic retinopathy.
Depending on what your ophthalmologist
sees in your eye,
these options could include medication injection,
and other surgery.
Your ophthalmologist can explain
why he or she chose PRP laser surgery
for your particular course of treatment.
You do not have to be treated for your diabetic retinopathy.
However, if left untreated,
the abnormal vessels usually lead to bleeding,
scarring, retinal detachment, and loss of vision.
The main goal of treating diabetic eye disease
is to prevent further vision loss.
Treatment does not cure diabetic retinopathy,
but it is often effective in helping you keep your sight.
Be sure to keep all appointments
with your ophthalmologist after treatments.
Also, if you have any changes in your vision,
you should call your ophthalmologist right away.
Monitoring your vision is a vital step
toward the goal of preserving your sight.
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