Patient's question:
Diabetic retinopathy has progressed to stages 3-4. How should it be treated and prevented from further progression?Doctor's answer:
After a patient is diagnosed with diabetes, they should visit an ophthalmologist. In the early stages of diabetic retinopathy, patients experience no symptoms. Even when the condition has progressed to stages 3 or 4, where there is a high risk of severe bleeding in the retina, the patient may still have no discomfort in their eyes. If the patient does not seek timely ophthalmological examination and a thorough retinal check, they may miss the best opportunity for early detection and treatment. By the time the patient notices dark spots in their vision and seeks medical attention, the condition is often already very severe, and vision recovery becomes extremely difficult. Therefore, early ophthalmological visits and regular dilated retinal examinations are crucial for preventing vision loss in diabetic patients.Many years ago, if a patient developed diabetic eye disease, they could only face blindness. With the continuous advancement of medical technology, increasingly refined diagnostic and treatment methods have been provided for diabetic patients. Today, when retinal damage reaches a certain severity, such as stages 3 or 4, treatments like retinal laser therapy can still be used to prevent further deterioration. If the severe bleeding in the retina does not absorb and even leads to retinal detachment, the patient can undergo vitrectomy surgery to completely remove the bleeding in front of the retina and receive timely, sufficient retinal photocoagulation treatment to save their vision.
Experts remind diabetic patients that the key to treating diabetic eye disease lies in treating diabetes itself. Therefore, when treating diabetic retinopathy, patients should first focus on "three controls"—actively managing blood sugar, blood pressure, and blood lipids. High blood sugar, high blood pressure, and high blood lipids can narrow and block blood vessels, leading to ischemia and hypoxia in the affected area and causing a series of complications. Only by controlling blood sugar, blood pressure, and blood lipids effectively can the local blood supply of the patient be fundamentally improved, ensuring that tissues and cells receive adequate nutrition and maintaining good vision.