Retinopathy is an eye condition in which the retina becomes damaged. The retina is the part of the eye that sends signals to the brain to view objects. However, when the retina is affected, people may suffer from low vision or loss of vision. Prominently, there are two types of retinopathy. One is diabetic retinopathy and the second is hypertensive retinopathy. In both conditions, the strain on the eyes occurs and therefore leads to a damaged retina.
Hypertensive retinopathy
As the name suggests, this condition occurs due to hypertension or high blood pressure. High blood pressure not only has many adverse effects on your overall health, but it can also put a strain on your eyes. When blood pressure rises, it puts pressure on the blood vessels, which in turn can lead to nerve damage in the eye.
Treatment of Hypertensive Retinopathy
The only way to treat and prevent hypertensive retinopathy is to control blood pressure. It can be done by making some lifestyle changes such as adding fruits to the diet, getting regular exercise, limiting coffee, tea and carbonated drinks, controlling weight, and quitting smoking and alcohol. You can also see a doctor who may prescribe medication for high blood pressure. Failure to control your blood pressure can lead to irreversible eye damage and permanent vision loss.
Diabetic retinopathy
The condition only occurs in people with diabetes. If you have high blood sugar, it can clog the blood vessels of the eye. It will lead to bleeding. To reverse the condition, the eyes will start to develop new blood vessels that are tender, and again the high sugar will make them bleed. This will block the view at first and you will start to see dark spots. However, if left untreated, it can lead to blindness.
Treatment for Diabetic Retinopathy
You may not see any symptoms in the early stages, but with an annual dilated eye exam, the condition can be diagnosed early. In its early stages, it can be treated without any surgery by just controlling blood sugar levels. At a later stage, doctors can treat it with anti-VEGF injections, laser treatment, or vitrectomy. Anti-VEGF injections block the protein VEGF, which causes blood vessels to become damaged. So prevent the symptoms from growing. Laser and vitrectomy are surgeries of the eye that will attempt to repair the damaged retina.
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