Injections for Advanced Diabetic Retinopathy
Diabetic retinopathy progresses in stages
that reflect the severity of the disease. Proliferative diabetic retinopathy is
a more advanced stage and requires treatment. Therapeutic injections for
proliferative diabetic retinopathy represent a sound treatment for some
patients with this advanced stage of diabetic retinopathy where blood vessels
in the retina begin to grow, or proliferate, many which are fragile and more
likely leak and bleed. Proliferative diabetic retinopathy is a significant
cause of vision loss if left untreated. Reporting on a clinical trial in the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers compared the
visual outcomes in patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy who
underwent either anti-VEGF treatment or Panretinal photocoagulation laser
treatment. They found in many respects the outcomes of the group receiving
injections were better in that the average vision over the two years in the
injection group was better than the laser group, and the patients with the
injections had less peripheral vision loss, required fewer future surgeries and
developed fewer complications in the macular area of the eye.
If you or someone you know has diabetes, it
is important to have regular diabetic eye exams to prevent vision loss from
diabetic eye disease complications called diabetic retinopathy. Early
detection, diagnosis and treatment are the keys to preventing vision loss from
diabetic retinopathy.
If
you need a diabetic eye exam please call
us at 508-730-2020, visit Center for Sight, Google+ or www.facebook.com/centerforsightfallriver to schedule an
appointment.
Center for Sight is conveniently located
at 1565
North Main Street, Suite 406, Fall River, Massachusetts 02720 for patients from
Massachusetts or Rhode Island.
