The Treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy
Diabetic retinopathy is a serious condition in which damage to the blood vessels in your eyes results in vision loss. Frequent, regularly scheduled eye care appointments are crucial if our Metairie-area patients are to prevent the condition.
However, even the most conscientious of patients still comes down with diabetic retinopathy. At The Eye Surgery Center of Louisiana, our eye care services extend beyond prevention and into treatment.
We can help if you’re suffering from diabetic retinopathy. We offer treatment options so that we can slow or even stop the progression of this condition.
If you’re a resident of the Metairie, Louisiana area and you’re looking for excellent eye care, please call The Eye Surgery Center of Louisiana today at 504-887-7660 for a consultation.
Safe, Effective Diabetic Retinopathy Treatment
The first step to take when we discover that you’re in the early stages of diabetic retinopathy is to try and get your diabetes under control. Your physician will be able to give you more details on the precise steps to take in this quest, but it almost always entails restricting your sugar intake and watching your cholesterol and blood pressure.
If this fails to control the condition and your diabetic retinopathy continues to progress, more pro-active steps might be necessary. We’ll discuss your options in more detail when the time comes, but treatments include:
- Photocoagulation, which is a laser treatment that creates burn in affected retinal areas in order to seal leaks
- In certain cases, more extensive and targeted laser treatments are necessary. We can eliminate leaking and dangerous blood vessels using a high-quality ocular laser.
- If necessary, we can inject certain medications in the vitreous humor of your eye; this slows the growth of leaking blood vessels
- Finally, if the fluid in your eye has been contaminated with enough blood that it cannot clear itself up, we can perform a vitrectomy. This is a surgical procedure that removes the affected fluid and replaces it, either with clear fluid or a gas bubble
These treatments all have proven track records of effectively slowing the progression of diabetic retinopathy. However, your best bet remains prevention. This means receiving making routine eye care visits to our offices and undergoing the lifestyle changes needed to prevent the onset of diabetes.
If you live in the Metairie, Louisiana area and you’re curious about your eye care options, please contact The Eye Surgery Center of Louisiana for more information.