Hi Lisa,
Over the last 5 years I've had lots of treatment for retinopathy, and still have 20/20 vision (with glasses) and a driving license.
In summary:
It's treatable, though scary.
Good control of blood sugars helps control the retinopathy, though beware of rapid changes in control as they're frequently the trigger that causes it in the first place.
Since the objects have been found at the routine screening then it's likely they're not yet at a stage to cause direct damage to sight. Initially the consultant may decide not to treat anything but to keep a close eye on developments and review the progression over the next few months or year - it depends on the severity of what was found.
Treatment is likely to involve many 100s of laser burns put onto the retina. This cuts off the tiny blood vessels that are likely growing where they shouldn't be at the back of the eye. The laser treatment is done while you're awake, with a local anaesthetic drop applied to the eye. I recommend taking ibuprofen or paracetemol an hour or so before the appointment, and expect the eye to feel gritty and slightly sore for the rest of the day. You would also have the drops that dilate the pupils for it too.
You may find at some point that you experience a haemmorhage within your eye. This is VERY scary but again is treatable. It's not immediate or short term, but the blood does clear over time - a small bleed can clear within a week or so, a large or recurring bleed may take months. If you do experience a bleed, you need to see your consultant or emergency eye unit as soon as you can. They will normally check vision for any blurry or blank patches. There's nothing you can do at the time to prevent or minimise the bleeding, it's just a case of riding it out I'm afraid.
If you go on in the future to experience heavy bleeding that doesn't clear, you may be recommended a vitrectomy. I had one of these (in one eye only) 2 years ago (November 2007). Under a general anaesthetic the surgeon cuts into the eye, removes the gel from inside it, performs more laser surgery, replaces the gel with saline and stitches it all up. It's a day-surgery case and I was home later the same day. I had a month of antibiotic and other eye drops and while awake I had to stay upright to prevent my retina wrinkling. There are different positions you are given - either lying flat, on one side, and so on depending on retina condition.
One complication I was warned of with vitrectomys is that they are likely to cause early cateracts (within about 5 years of the surgery) but my most recent check up found no sign of anything developing and the consultant basically said it's something they have to warn about but that he was confident I wouldn't experience it. Even so, it's a small price to pay for having good vision again.
You will have to notify the DVLA once you have had laser treatment for retinopathy (assuming you have a driving license), the DVLA may send you for a field vision test at one of their approved opticians (one who has the equipment!), this involves looking into a machine and pressing a handheld buzzer thing when you see a small green light flash up.
