Diabetic Eye Disease – Diabetes and Blindness
Diabetes can damage the eye, resulting in diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma and blindness in both eyes.
If you or your loved one has suffered such complications because of poor diabetes care, you need to talk to a solicitor about the options available to you.
If your blindness has been caused by substandard medical treatment, you could be entitled to pursue a claim for the damage you have wrongfully incurred.
For more information on claiming compensation for diabetes blindness, please get in touch with us today. We are a specialist firm of medical negligence solicitors.
Diabetic retinopathy
Diabetic retinopathy is when the retina, located at the back of the eye, is damaged. The condition is commonly associated with diabetes because it can be caused by persistently high blood sugar levels. When the retina is damaged the eye(s) will not function properly, resulting in blindness.
What causes diabetic retinopathy?
The retina consists of layer of cells at the back of the eye. The cells receive light rays and convert them into electrical pulses. These are sent to the brain via the optic nerve, where the brain interprets the message into an image. The retina therefore enables us to see.
In order to function properly, the retina requires a good blood supply. In healthy individuals this is not a problem, as there is a network of tiny vessels which maintain the blood supply to the retina. But if the blood has high glucose levels, it will cause bulges in the blood vessel walls. This can damage the retina.
If left untreated, these bulges (called micro-aneurysms) can leak blood and fluid. They can also become blocked. This will lead to swelling, scar tissue and ultimately the loss of vision.
Why does diabetes cause retinopathy?
Retinopathy is a problem associated with diabetes patients. This is because diabetes is a condition in which the body cannot break down glucose properly. The glucose ends up in the bloodstream, meaning the patient has high blood glucose levels.
High blood glucose levels is what causes the bulges to appear in the blood vessel walls around the retina. A patient's glucose levels must be persistently high for serious damage to occur. So if someone with diabetes is able to control their blood glucose levels, they can avoid developing diabetic retinopathy.
What are the symptoms of diabetic retinopathy?
Diabetic retinopathy may not have any symptoms in the early stages. Once the condition has advanced, there can be:
- Blurred vision
- Floaters (floating shapes that obstruct your vision)
- The loss of vision
How to diagnose diabetic retinopathy
Anyone with the aforementioned symptoms should be referred to an eye specialist for urgent assessment. Images will be taken of the retina to reveal whether or not retinopathy is present.
Screening for diabetic eye disease
Even if there are no symptoms present, a diabetes patient should have a diabetic eye screening test once every year. This should be offered to all diabetes over the age of 12. It should be part of diabetes care provided to patients on the NHS.
It is important that patients attend these appointments because diabetic retinopathy will not produce any symptoms in the early stages. However, it is important that the condition is detected in the early stages, because once the retina becomes seriously harmed it cannot be repaired.
Therefore symptoms will be permanent if retinopathy is allowed to progress to the advanced stages. But if the condition is caught early enough, treatment can be given to prevent further deterioration.
Treating diabetic eye disease
There are different stages of diabetic retinopathy. The treatment required will depend upon the stage of a patient's condition.
The four stages of diabetic retinopathy, and the treatment for each, are described below:
Stage 1 – Background retinopathy, where tiny bulges appear in the blood vessels. Treatment can be conservative at this stage, involving better control of the patient's blood glucose levels. This might necessitate lifestyle and exercise changes from the patient.
Stage 2 – Pre-proliferate retinopathy, where the tiny bulges leak blood into the retina. Again, retinopathy can be prevented from further deterioration if blood glucose levels are kept under control.
Stage 3 – Proliferate retinopathy, where new blood vessels form around the retina in an attempt to improve blood supply. This causes scar tissue on the retina. Laser treatment should be offered at this stage. This may not improve symptoms but will stabilise the eye.
Stage 4 – Advanced diabetic retinopathy, where there is significant bleeding into the eye. The loss of blood supply can also cause retinal detachment. Again, laser treatment will be needed at this stage. Other treatments that can be used for advanced diabetic retinopathy are intra-vitreal injections and vitrectomy. Complications of diabetic retinopathy
If diabetic retinopathy is not treated, the condition will almost certainly get worse. The damage to the retina will become increasingly severe, resulting in further complications such as:
- Glaucoma – where fluid presses on the nerve at the back of the eye
- Diabetic maculopathy – where blood and fluid leak onto the macula in the centre of the eye
- Retinal detachment – where excess fluid causes the retina to pull away from the blood vessels
All of these complications can lead to reduced vision or total blindness in both eyes.
Blindness from diabetes
Diabetic retinopathy is one of the most common causes of blindness in people of a working age. This will be extremely traumatic for those affected, whose entire life will be turned upside down. They may no longer be able to work, live an independent life or even leave the house alone. This can be very isolating and upsetting.
Compensation claim
If you or your loved one has become blind due to diabetes, you need to consider whether substandard medical care is to blame. Perhaps diabetic eye screening appointments were not offered? Or early signs of retinopathy were not detected during screening tests? Or your symptoms were not properly investigated?
Whatever the circumstances, if you think you have been left blind because of poor medical care, you need to talk to a solicitor. We will advise whether there is a case of medical negligence. If so, you will be able to claim compensation. Contact us for more information.
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