There are 150 million diabetics worldwide; 15 million in the United States of America of which half are unknown and untreated.

Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness in Mexico and largely amongst the working population. This disease has a direct link with the progression time of diabetes. A lack of control or hyperglycemia over time plays an important role within the development of the disease.

Once diagnosed with diabetes, it is highly recommended for a diabetic person to have an eye assessment to determine whether or not the person has diabetic retinopathy.

What is diabetic retinopathy?
Diabetic retinopathy is an eye disease that involves various pathological changes in the retina and common in patients with chronic diabetes. This eye disease is a leading cause of blindness, especially severe in diabetics who require insulin (insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus). The degree of retinopathy is closely related to the duration of the disease.

There are two types of diabetic retinopathy:
Proliferative diabetic retinopathy: There is a growth of new blood vessels once the retina is damaged, which may seem beneficial, but it is not as these are abnormal vessels. In proliferative diabetic retinopathy the new vessels grown are fragile in the retina and vitreous and prone to break and bleed.

Non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy:
In this case, the small capillaries (small blood vessels) break and leak blood, the surrounding area swells (edema) and proteins are deposited. It may impact the macula, which is the central part of the retina, responsible for fine vision.  Central sight may also be lost. In its early stages, non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy does not cause blindness, but small hemorrhages can distort certain areas of the visual field and thus can cause a blurred vision.