Understanding retinopathy

[Northerner]

Diabetic retinopathy is the most prominent complication of diabetes and the leading cause of blindness in working age individuals. It is estimated that half a million Canadians are afflicted by diabetic retinopathy and it is predicted that the incidence will double over the next 15 years.

The ability to control and cure this disease has been limited so far. But a study led by Drs. Przemyslaw (Mike) Sapieha and Frédérick A. Mallette, researchers at Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont (CIUSSS de l'Est-de-l'Île-de-Montréal) and professors at the Université de Montréal, sheds new understanding on the mechanisms of the disease as it uncovered a program of accelerated aging of the neurons, blood vessels and immune cells of the retina in areas where blood vessels had been damaged.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/10/161026142148.htm

 

[mikeyB]

Yes, first identify the stages and causes of disease progress, then find a way of stopping it. But them people the question will be who do you treat and when?

Although retinopathy rates are higher in poorly controlled diabetes, this is one of the few diabetic complications that has a strong relationship to length of time since diagnosis. That doesn't mean it always occurs after being diabetic for 20 years, but that it can however well controlled you are. This research may well resolve that particular anomaly.

 

[Northerner]

Although retinopathy rates are higher in poorly controlled diabetes, this is one of the few diabetic complications that has a strong relationship to length of time since diagnosis. That doesn't mean it always occurs after being diabetic for 20 years, but that it can however well controlled you are. This research may well resolve that particular anomaly.

Also can depend on luck, and where the damage occurs. I've had excellent control since diagnosis, but have developed a problem close to the macula and have had to keep going to the eye hospital about it, having had a small amount of laser treatment. Now I've got a problem - same eye - where there is 'leakage' below the retina, which has thankfully remained stable for the past couple of years. Some people have no problems for decades, mine developed after only a couple of years

 

[Marsbartoastie]

An appropriately scarey topic for Halloween <goes off to make a raw broccoli, spinach and kale smoothie> 🙂

 

[Diabeticliberty]

When first diagnosed this was the one aspect of the condition that really really scared me. I suppose that's what made me stick to plan when I first got diagnosed. That and a large nurse called Philomena who said if she ever saw me in a diabetic ward again she would crush me like a billiard ball in her bicep. She did actually have biceps that would crush billiard balls. What a woman

 

[Flower]

I remember my eye surgeon telling me there was a 15-20 year window after diagnosis and if you got through that without significant changes in the retina you were hopefully in a good place for avoiding the living nightmare of advanced retinopathy. He said that in young people - as I was back then- it could be exceedingly aggressive zooming through the stages of development, which mine did, with rates of new vessel growth outrunning the rate of laser treatment and robbing me of much of my sight . Any research that can be done in this direction to identify the stages and how to try and stop retinopathy in its destructive tracks is very good news.

 

[Matt Cycle]

This was my biggest worry at diagnosis. I sailed along quite merrily until around 5 years ago when I got the background retinopathy letter. It was quite a shock and I kept thinking to myself could I have managed it better? Well of course I could have but I thought I was doing an alright job for the first 25 years. It's still there but they don't seem overly concerned and I get the see you again in 12 months letter.