Delaying and preventing diabetic retinopathy

Abstract

Diabetic retinopathy is a neurovascular complication of diabetes which is an avoidable cause of sight loss. Since the introduction of screening for diabetic retinopathy in the UK along with improving treatments for both diabetes and diabetic retinopathy it is no longer the leading cause of blindness in the UK. Screening detects diabetic retinopathy at an early stage when optimisation of blood glucose, blood pressure and cholesterol are effective in reducing the progression of diabetic retinopathy. Once proliferative diabetic retinopathy or diabetic macular oedema develops treatment includes laser photocoagulation, intravitreal vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitor injections, steroid injection and vitrectomy. With screening to detect diabetic retinopathy, improved therapies and technologies to help people manage diabetes and treatments for diabetic retinopathy sight loss is preventable for the majority of people. Copyright © 2021 John Wiley & Sons.