Eye Surgery Procedures & Treatment
Annual Eye Exams & Diabetic Eye Disease
Eye Surgery and Treatment for Diabetic Eye Disease
Treatment for diabetic eye disease depends on the severity of a cataract; the reason for any glaucoma; and on the type of diabetic retinopathy you have, its severity and how well it may respond to specific treatments and/or eye surgery.
Early diabetic retinopathy
If you have nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy, you may not need any treatment for yeats. However, your eye doctor will closely monitor your retina to determine if you need further diagnostic studies, indicating the need for treatment.
Diabetic macular edema
Laser is sometimes used for macular edema if a point of leakage can be identified. More recently, there have been exciting advances in the pharmaceutical treatment of macular edema, using injections of a number of different medications into the vitreous cavity to “dry up” the edema.
Advanced diabetic retinopathy
If you have proliferative diabetic retinopathy, you may need prompt laser surgery and/or operative surgical treatment. Depending on the specific problems with your retina, options may include:
Focal laser eye surgery. This laser surgery, also known as photocoagulation, can stop the leakage of blood and fluid in the eye. It is usually done in the office. During the procedure, leaks from abnormal blood vessels are sealed with laser burns. Focal laser treatment is usually done in a single session. Your vision will be blurry for about a day after the procedure. Sometimes small spots caused by the laser burns may appear in your visual field. The spots generally fade and disappear with time. If you had blurred vision from swelling of the central macula before surgery, however, you may not recover completely normal vision.
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Scatter laser eye surgery. This laser treatment, also known as panretinal photocoagulation, can shrink the abnormal blood vessels. It’s also done in your eye doctor’s office or in an eye center. During the procedure, the areas of the retina away from the macula are treated with scattered laser burns. The burns cause the new blood vessels to shrink and disappear. Scatter laser surgery is usually done in two or more sessions. Your vision will be blurry for about a day after the eye surgery. Some loss of peripheral vision or night vision after the eye surgery is possible.
Vitrectomy. This procedure can be used to remove blood from the center of the eye (vitreous) and scar tissue that’s tugging on the retina. It’s done in a surgery center or hospital under local or general anesthesia. During the procedure, the doctor makes a tiny incision in your eye. The blood-filled tissue and scar tissue are removed with delicate instruments and replaced with a salt solution, which helps maintain your eye’s normal shape. Sometimes a gas bubble must be placed in the cavity of the eye to help reattach the retina. After surgery, you may stay in the hospital overnight. If a gas bubble was placed in your eye, you may need to remain in a facedown position until the gas bubble disappears – often several days. You’ll need to wear an eye patch and use medicated eyedrops for a few days or weeks. Often, vitrectomy is followed or accompanied by laser surgery.
Laser surgery often slows or stops the progression of diabetic retinopathy, but it’s not a cure. Because diabetes is a lifelong condition, future retinal damage and vision loss is possible. Even after laser eye surgery for diabetic retinopathy, you will need regular eye exams. At some point, additional treatment and/or eye surgery may be recommended by your ophthalmologist.
