Diabetic retinopathy
You can reduce your risk of developing diabetic retinopathy, or help stop it getting worse, by keeping your blood sugar levels, blood pressure and cholesterollevels under control.
This can often be done by making healthy lifestyle choices, although some people will also need to take medication.
Adopting a few lifestyle changes can improve your general health and reduce your risk of developing retinopathy. These include:
You may also be prescribed medication to help control your blood sugar level (such as insulin or metformin), blood pressure (such as ACE inhibitors) and/or cholesterol level (such as Statins ).
It can beeasier to keep your blood sugar levels, blood pressure and cholesterol levels under control if you know what level they are and monitor them regularly.
The lower you can keep them, the lower your chances of developing retinopathy are. Your diabetes care team can let you know what your target levels should be.
If you check your blood sugar level at home, it should be 4 to 10mmol/l . The level can vary throughout the day, so try to check it at different times.
The check done at your GP surgery is a measure of your average blood sugar level over the past few weeks. You should know this number, as it is the most important measure of your diabetes control.
Its called HbA1c, and for most people with diabetes it should be around 48 mmol/l or 6.5% .
Read about treating type 1 diabetes and treating type 2 diabetes .
You can ask for a blood pressure test at your GP surgery, or you can buy a blood pressure monitor to use at home. Blood pressure is measured in millimetres of mercury (mmHg) and is given as two figures.
If you have diabetes, you'll normally be advised to aim for a blood pressure reading of no more than 140/80mmHg, or less than 130/80mmHg if you have diabetes complications , such as eye damage.
The result is given inmillimoles per litre of blood (mmol/l).
If you have diabetes, you'll normally be advised to aim for a total blood cholesterol level of no more than 4 mmol/l .
and treating high cholesterol .
Even if you think your diabetes is well controlled, it's still important toattend your annual diabetic eye screening appointment, as this candetect signs of a problem before you notice anything is wrong.
The earlier that retinopathy isdetected, the greater the chance of effectively treatingit and stopping it getting worse.
You should also contact your GP or diabetes care team immediately if you develop any problems with your eyes or vision, such as:
These symptoms don't necessarily mean you have diabetic retinopathy, but it's important to get them checked out straight away.
Diabetic retinopathy is a complication of diabetes, caused by high blood sugar levels damaging the back of the eye (retina). It can cause blindness if left undiagnosed and untreated.
Read about the main stages of diabetic retinopathy, and what your diabetic screening result means.
Read about the main treatments for advanced diabetic retinopathy, including laser treatment, eye injections and eye surgery.
You can reduce your risk of developing diabetic retinopathy, or help stop it getting worse, by keeping your blood sugar levels, blood pressure and cholesterol levels under control.