As the
prevalence of diabetes has increased during the past 50 years and
the life expectancy of those who develop diabetes has been
extended by insulin and supportive medications of various types,
the incidence of diabetic retinopathy in the general population
has multiplied several times. Diabetic retinopathy became, by
1955, the leading cause of legal blindness in the 20 to 65 age
group in the U.S.
There are
two types: background and proliferative. For the former the
retina becomes swollen and hemorrhagic as a result of excessive
capillary leakage. That type (see below) occurs more often in
the middle and older age diabetic patient.
Proliferative diabetic retinopathy refers to the development of
delicate and abnormally structured blood vessels on the surface
of the retina (see below). Scar tissue is a frequent component
of the blood vessel network. Proliferative diabetic retinopathy
occurs more commonly in the younger diabetic patients. Both
types of retinopathy are amenable to laser therapy and, not
infrequently, to operative surgery as well.
And for supportive therapy, dietary sodium
restriction offers great promise in controlling diabetic
retinopathy and promoting its regression.
