What is the difference between macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy

Macular Degeneration Part 2 of 2 September 15, Show all. The NO. Age of Onset Diabetic retinopathy can strike at any age. Ethnic Predisposition Diabetic retinopathy, and diabetes, may strike anyone. Progression of Disease While diabetic retinopathy can NOT be cured, it certainly has the potential to be treated and to maintain stable vision. Wong, M. Related posts. Retina Specialists Warnings of Beovu Read more.

October 29, at pm. Randall V. Leave a Reply Cancel reply Your email address will not be published. While both conditions can cause blindness, the two have some key differences that are important to understand. Diabetic retinopathy is a complication of diabetes that can lead to vision loss.

It can also result in other complications, including DME. Diabetic retinopathy happens when diabetes damages the retina, a thin layer of tissue located in the back of your eye near the optic nerve. The longer you have diabetes, the more likely you are to have retinopathy.

It can occur when your blood sugar level is too high for too long. This can interfere with blood flow and damage small blood vessels, including those that go to the retina. As the vessels bulge and weaken, blood and other fluid leak into the retina. This process can be slow, and you may not notice symptoms for a while. You may be able to slow to progression of the disease further by keeping your blood sugar levels under control. The advanced stage is called proliferative diabetic retinopathy.

While the condition can affect people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, it tends to be more prevalent in those with type 1. Approximately 75 percent of people with type 1 diabetes and 50 percent with type 2 diabetes develop retinopathy at some point in their lives, according to a study. DME is a complication of diabetic retinopathy that affects the macula, which is located at the center of the retina and responsible for central vision.

The macula helps you see color, fine details, and distant objects. Diabetic Retinopathy is of two types: Non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy NPDR — Symptomless form of diabetic retinopathy Proliferative diabetic retinopathy PDR — Advanced stage of diabetic retinopathy where retinal blood vessels are damaged. Macular Degeneration Macular Degeneration — an ageing-related eye condition causes progressive macular damage resulting in loss in the centre of the field of vision. Difference between Diabetic Retinopathy and Macular Degeneration Definition Diabetic Retinopathy Diabetic retinopathy DR is a disease that occurs as a result of damage to the retina blood vessels in people who have diabetes Macular Degeneration AMD is a degenerative eye disease that gradually damages the macula causing progressive loss of central vision.

Stages Diabetic Retinopathy Diabetic retinopathy has a number of stages: Non-proliferative — damage to the blood vessels in the retina, vision is not affected in this stage Proliferative — abnormal and fragile blood vessels begin to grow on the retina.

Macular Oedema — the abnormal blood vessels leak fluid into the macula — the centre of the retina — causing blurred vision Vitreous Haemorrhage — the abnormal blood vessel Macular Degeneration The course of Age-related Macular Degeneration is different in different people.

It has 3 stages: Early-stage Age-related Macular Degeneration: No pigment changes, medium-sized drusen deposits, no loss of vision. In this, there may be mild loss of vision, but most of the times, many people do not face any symptoms.

Complications Diabetic Retinopathy Vitreous hemorrhage — bleeding in the eyes Retinal detachment Glaucoma Blindness Macular Degeneration Anxiety or depression Decreased contrast sensitivity Decreased visual acuity Metamorphopsia Central scotoma Diagnosis Diabetic Retinopathy Optical coherence tomography OCT Fluorescein angiography Dilated eye exam Doctor can detect the presence of: abnormalities in the blood vessels, optic nerve, or retina cataracts changes in eye pressure or overall vision new blood vessels retinal detachment scar tissue Macular Degeneration Test for defects in the centre of your vision Fluorescein angiography Indocyanine green angiography Optical coherence tomography Examination of the back of your eye Amsler grid Optical Coherence Tomography OCT Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Early diabetic retinopathy Advanced diabetic retinopathy Depending on the specific problems with your retina, options may include: Photocoagulation.

Have regular eye exams. She has around 35 national and international publications to her credit. Latest posts by Dr. Amita Fotedar -Dr see all. Help us improve. These cone and rod cells become very densely packed in the center of the retina, in an area called the macula. The macula helps you to see clearly and pick up fine details. In macular degeneration, these very important light sensitive cells begin to break down, slowly deteriorating, causing a gradual loss of vision.

In fact, macular degeneration is the leading cause of vision loss among people over the age of 55 in the United States. People with both type I also known as juvenile diabetes and Type II often called adult onset diabetes are at risk for developing diabetic related macular degeneration. There are two major forms of macular degeneration: wet and dry. The vast majority are the dry form. Dry macular degeneration causes a gradual loss of central vision.

Wet, macular degeneration, on the other hand, is known to be more aggressive, often resulting in severe vision loss. In some cases, the disease can begin as dry, and then progress to wet. For unknown reasons, new blood vessels can form behind the retina, growing into the macula.

These blood vessels are extremely fragile, meaning that they leak or rupture quite easily, and can cause severe vision loss.