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Diabetic Retinopathy
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Symptoms of diabetic retinopathy

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Blurred person, representing blurred vision

Loss of visual acuity (blurred vision):

  • Slow (chronic). Patients with diabetic macular oedema progressively lose their clear vision and may eventually lose their central vision (they develop a blind spot, known as a scotoma).
  • Fast (acute). In cases of proliferative diabetic retinopathy, internal bleeding (vitreous haemorrhage) is a possibility which could result in rapid and total vision loss.
Floating bodies in the eye, flies

Myodesopsia (appearance of floating spots). Floaters develop in patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy and mild internal bleeding (vitreous haemorrhage).

Eye with a lightning bolt above it, symbolising pain

Eye pain. Eye pain can occur in severe cases of proliferative retinopathy where there is a significant increase in the intraocular pressure due to large haemorrhages (neovascular glaucoma).

Signs of diabetic retinopathy

  • Microaneurysms. These small dilatations in the blood vessels of the retina are the first and mildest signs of the disease.
  • Intraretinal haemorrhages. Small amounts of localised bleeding coming from the damaged blood vessels within the retina.
  • Lipid exudates. Accumulations of fat leaking from the damaged retinal blood vessels.
  • Macular oedema. Swelling of the retina due to fluids leaking from the abnormal vessels.
  • Intraretinal microvascular abnormalities. The abnormal growth of blood vessels within the retina.
  • Retinal neovascularisation. The abnormal growth of blood vessels outside the retina and inside the vitreous cavity (interior of the eye).
  • Vitreous haemorrhages. Significant bleeding inside the vitreous cavity due to retinal neovascularisation.
  • Vitreomacular traction. Stretching and deformation of the retina caused by the growth of large areas of retinal neovascularisation.
  • Neovascularisation in the iris. The abnormal growth of blood vessels inside the iris and trabecular meshwork which increase intraocular pressure because they obstruct drainage.
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Substantiated information by:

Anna Sala Puigdollers
Marc Figueras Roca
Victoria Hernández Grima

Published: 3 July 2018
Updated: 3 July 2018

The donations that can be done through this webpage are exclusively for the benefit of Hospital Clínic of Barcelona through Fundació Clínic per a la Recerca Biomèdica and not for BBVA Foundation, entity that collaborates with the project of PortalClínic.

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