As a diabetic it is important to be aware that other health problems such as diabetic retinopathy can develop over time and we are here to outline the diabetic retinopathy stages and how it can affect your health. Retinopathy in both eyes can be quite serious and when they are caused by diabetes you are at risk for long term and permanent damage. Retinopathy is caused by changes in the blood vessels within and around your eye. There are several different symptoms and warning signs such as fatty deposits on eye ball as one symptom of this diabetes eye disease and it is important for you to be aware that this is the leading cause of blindness in adults today within the United States. With this being said, let’s go through the different stages of retinopathy stages and how you spot the symptoms.

Diabetic Retinopathy stages explained:

The first sign of diabetic retinopathy is a change of vision. This can include blurred vision, seeing spots and even cloudy vision. Each and every person experiences retinopathy differently and how this disease develops can determine the warning signs and symptoms you will experience. In some cases the blood vessels within the eye will begin to swell and leak fluid where in other cases, new blood vessels can develop and grow specifically on the retina creating the vision problems mentioned above. Now that we have outlined some of the symptoms of this eye condition, please allow us to outline the diabetic retinopathy stages.

Mild Nonproliferative Retinopathy : This is the very first stage of this eye disease. Within this stage, slight swelling of the blood vessels can occur within the retina and around the eye.

Moderate Nonproliferative Retinopathy : during this second stage of the eye condition some of the essential blood vessels around the eye will become blocked and this will lead to more serious problems in stage 3.

Severe Nonproliferative Retinopathy : more and more blood vessels within the eye become blocked, depriving the eye of the blood supply they need to function properly. At this stage your retina will send signals to the rest of the body that more blood vessels are needed and this is when new blood vessels can begin to grow on the retina.

Proliferative Retinopathy : this is stage 4 diabetes the very last and most severe stage of this eye condition. Within this stage, new blood vessels will begin to grow in and around the eye but they are abnormal and incredibly fragile. The blood vessels themselves are not the exact cause for vision problems and even vision loss. The problems begin to occur when their thin walls begin to break and blood begins to leak into the retina. This can potentially cause long term vision problems if not blindness.

How to prevent Diabetic Retinopathy Stages:

Now that we have outlined the specific diabetic retinopathy stages you may be wondering how you can prevent this happening to you. First and foremost, you need to focus on maintaining your blood sugar levels and not letting your blood glucose get out of control for long periods of time. Combine this will regular diabetic eye care with regular eye exams and you are staying one step ahead of diabetic retinopathy stages.