From www.visionworksusa.com

Only 6 percent of diabetics lose their vision. Blindness is largely preventable if the patient and the medical team work together diligently. This includes proper use of medications, daily blood sugar testing, correct lifestyle habits, diet and supplementation.

Diabetic retinopathy is a potentially blinding complication of diabetes that damages the eye's retina. It affects half of all Americans diagnosed with diabetes.

At first, you may notice no change in your vision. But don't let diabetic retinopathy fool you. It could get worse over the years and threaten your good vision. With timely treatment, 90 percent of those with advanced diabetic retinopathy can be saved from going blind.

Type I Diabetes (Juvenile Diabetes) develops when the body produces too little insulin. This condition generally starts in childhood. Type II Diabetes (Adult-Onset Diabetes) develops over many years, and is caused by the body either not producing enough insulin or not being able to effectively use the insulin produced.

There are two conventional treatments for diabetic retinopathy:

Laser Surgery is used to treat macula edema and proliferative retinopathy (advanced diabetic retinopathy). One type of laser treatment is “focal laser treatment”, which seals the leaking vessels. Generally, laser surgery is used to stabilize vision, not necessarily to improve it.

The second type of laser surgery is “scatter laser treatment”, used for proliferative retinopathy. This treatment shrinks the abnormal blood vessels. Often this can result in side vision loss.

Vitrectomy is an eye operation performed if you have a lot of blood in the vitreous (back of the eye). It involves removing the cloudy vitreous and replacing it with a salt solution. Early vitrectomy is especially effective in people with insulin-dependent diabetes, who may be at a greater risk of blindness from a hemorrhage into the eye.

Editor’s Note: Numerous supplementary treatments are available. Work with your doctor to determine which, if any, are suitable for you.