betic Retinopathy: What to Watch Out For
While some people might not experience symptoms in the early stages, there are subtle warning signs you should never ignore. Here are the most common early signs of diabetic retinopathy:
1. Blurred or Fluctuating Vision
Blurry vision might not always mean you need new glasses. In people with diabetes, it can signal swelling in the retina or fluid leaking from damaged blood vessels. You may also notice fluctuations clear one moment, cloudy the next.
2. Floaters or Dark Spots
Seeing floaters (small dark shapes that drift across your field of vision) could be harmless. But for a diabetic, this might indicate bleeding inside the eye due to damaged vessels. These shadows can increase over time and hinder vision.
3. Difficulty Seeing at Night
Do streetlights and headlights seem dimmer than before? Trouble seeing in low light or adjusting from bright to dark environments can signal early retinal changes caused by diabetes.
4. Colours Appear Washed Out
A subtle sign, but noticeable, colours may begin to lose their vibrancy. This could suggest nerve or blood vessel damage in the retina.
5. Empty or Dark Areas in Vision
As the disease progresses, parts of your field of vision may appear missing or dark. If you experience this, it requires immediate medical attention.
6. Sudden Vision Loss (In One or Both Eyes)
While not an “early” sign, it’s essential to mention. Sudden or partial vision loss should always be treated as a medical emergency.

Stages of Diabetic Retinopathy
Understanding how the disease progresses helps in taking it seriously from the start:
• Mild Non-Proliferative Retinopathy: Microaneurysms (tiny bulges) form in retinal blood vessels.
• Moderate Non-Proliferative Retinopathy: Some vessels become blocked.
• Severe Non-Proliferative Retinopathy: More blockages occur, cutting off blood supply to parts of the retina.
• Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy: New, fragile blood vessels grow—these can leak blood into the eye, leading to serious vision problems or blindness.
Early signs usually occur in the first two stages. That’s when treatment is most effective.

Risk Factors: Who’s More Likely to Develop It?
Though any person with diabetes is at risk, the following factors increase your chances:
• Longer duration of diabetes
• Poor blood sugar control
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Pregnancy (for diabetic women)
• Smoking
The longer you’ve had diabetes, the more vigilant you need to be about your eye health.

How Diabetic Retinopathy Is Diagnosed
Diagnosing diabetic retinopathy involves a comprehensive dilated eye exam. At advanced eye care centres like Malabar Maxivision Eye Hospital, our specialists use state-of-the-art tools such as:
• Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT): Provides detailed images of the retina.
• Fluorescein Angiography: Uses dye to highlight blood vessels in the retina.
• Digital Retinal Photography: Captures high-resolution images for precise monitoring.
Early detection through routine screening is the most powerful tool in preventing vision loss.

Treatment Options for Diabetic Retinopathy
If diagnosed early, the disease can be managed and progression delayed. Treatment depends on the severity:
1. Lifestyle and Sugar Control
In mild cases, managing your diabetes effectively, with better glucose, pressure, and cholesterol control, can halt or slow down the disease.
2. Anti-VEGF Injections
Medications such as Avastin, Lucentis, or Eylea are injected into the eye to reduce swelling and prevent abnormal blood vessel growth.
3. Laser Treatment
Laser photocoagulation seals leaking blood vessels and shrinks abnormal ones. It's often used in more advanced stages.
4. Vitrectomy
A surgical procedure to remove blood or scar tissue from the eye in advanced cases.

Why Timely Action Matters
Delaying an eye check-up might feel harmless, until it’s too late. Once vision is lost, it may not come back. The good news? With prompt intervention, diabetic retinopathy can be treated and even reversed in its early stages. The earlier it’s found, the better your outcome.

Your Vision Deserves the Best: Trust Malabar Maxivision Eye Hospital
At Malabar Maxivision Eye Hospital, we believe that vision care should be proactive, not reactive. As Kerala’s leading destination for precision eye care, we specialise in diabetic eye disease management through expert screening, advanced diagnostics, and cutting-edge treatments. Our experienced retina specialists are committed to preserving your sight through personalised care and early intervention.
We understand the fears that come with a diabetes diagnosis, but you’re not alone in this journey. Every visit to Malabar Maxivision is not just a check-up; it’s a step toward peace of mind.

Don’t Wait for Vision Loss to Take the First Step
You don’t need to wait for symptoms to appear. If you’re living with diabetes, the time to act is now. Book a comprehensive eye screening at Malabar Maxivision Eye Hospital and ensure that your sight is as well cared for as the rest of your health.

See the signs. Save your sight. Trust your eyes with Malabar Maxivision.