Diabetic eye disease
Sugar quietly damages the back of the eye
Years of high blood sugar weaken the tiny blood pipes in the retina. They leak, swell and later grow new fragile pipes that bleed. Most of this happens with no pain and no warning.
50 sec“Injections dry the swelling. They do not cure sugar.”
Medical retina doctor
What the doctor says
“Injections dry the swelling. They do not cure sugar.”
Medical retina doctor · Reads your OCT, not your bill
- Dots and specks with good vision need sugar control, not needles.
- Ask for your macular thickness in microns and the target number.
- Surgery is for blood that will not clear or a retina being pulled.
The filmed clip is being recorded. The words above are the same points the doctor makes on camera.
Ask a doctor about my own scansAdvised a long course of eye injections?
Send your scans. A senior eye doctor who will never operate on you reads them and writes a plain answer in two days.
The three stages, in plain words
- Early leaking. Small dots and specks on the photo. Nothing is done to the eye. Sugar, blood pressure and a yearly check are the treatment.
- Swelling at the centre. Fluid collects where you read. Injections dry it up. This is where most treatment happens.
- New fragile vessels. They bleed into the jelly of the eye. Laser calms them. Surgery is for blood that will not clear or a retina being pulled.
Operation now or not
Surgery is usually needed
- Blood in the eye that has not cleared after weeks and is blocking sight
- Scar tissue pulling the retina off
- A retina detachment on top of the diabetes damage
You can usually take your time
- Dots and specks with normal reading vision
- Centre swelling that is still responding to injections
- A fresh bleed in the first few weeks, which often clears on its own
Fair questions to ask
- How thick is my macula in microns, and what is the target?
- How many injections before we judge if this is working?
- Is there a cheaper injection that works nearly as well for me?
- What happens to my sight if I do nothing for three months?
Go to an eye hospital today if
- Sudden blackout or a big new floater in one eye
- Sudden pain with redness after injections or laser
- Vision dropping day by day
Not sure if you need surgery?
Send us your scans. A senior eye doctor who will never operate on you reads them and tells you the truth in two days.