The Invisible War Inside the Eye

The invisible war inside the eye

The most serious complication of diabetes, sometimes leading to blindness, is associated with irreversible painful changes in the fundus of the eye. Doctors call this retinopathy. A patient with severe retinopathy may even lose vision.

The fundus is the part of the eyeball located on the side opposite the pupil. In other words, the back wall of the eye. This is where the light-receiving structures - “rods” and “cones” - are located. To “catch” light well, they need to “nourish” well, that is, have sufficient blood supply. Otherwise, vision is impaired.

Raises in blood sugar levels, both short-term and long-term, do not pass without leaving an impact on the photosensitive tissue of the fundus of the eye. And all again due to the insulin independence of the arteries, which abundantly supply the “rods” and “cones” in patients with diabetes. With a high sugar content, insulin-dependent tissues starve, and non-insulin-dependent tissues “eat up” on it.

From such “overeating” a lot of sorbitol is formed in them. Sorbitol retains water and causes swelling of blood vessels. Hemorrhages occur in one or another part of the fundus of the eye, in place of which “connective tissue scars” are formed.

Over time, more and more of the light-sensitive tissue is replaced by scars, unable to perform visual functions. At first, the patient does not feel this, so it is very important to visit the ophthalmologist regularly. Only an ophthalmologist can notice the very first changes in the fundus and, together with the patient, begin the fight to preserve vision.

The insidiousness of the disease lies mainly in the fact that it creeps up unnoticed, and the patient is unaware of the “war” taking place in the fundus of the eye. Because vision deteriorates slightly for the time being. And suddenly - a catastrophe: immediately, in one day, vision deterioration up to its loss.