New Delhi, 28 September (IANS). Along with the increasing number of diabetes in India, a serious eye disease called diabetic retinopathy is increasing rapidly. This disease is becoming a major cause of vision loss and if it is not treated on time, it can also cause complete blindness.
Diabetic retinopathy is a condition that damages small blood vessels of the eye retina (curtains) due to diabetes. When the level of blood sugar remains high for a long time, these blood vessels start to weaken and leak or bleed them. Because of this, swelling, wounds and abnormal blood vessels in the eyes are formed, called diabetic macular edema (DME). All these changes severely affect the vision.
The early stage of diabetic retinopathy usually shows no obvious symptoms. The patient feels the problem only when the patient feels weak or feels blurred. Therefore, the disease is often ignored until its effect has increased. According to experts, this is why most patients do not conduct eye tests on time and treatment is delayed.
The number of diabetes patients in India is very high. According to the National Office Survey 2019, about 12 percent of people above 50 years of age in India are affected by diabetes. About 17 percent of these are diabetic retinopathy, but only 10 percent get their eyes examined, so that it is not possible to detect and treat the disease on time.
Laser therapy and anti-VEGF injections have been used usually in the treatment of diabetic macular edema and retinopathy. These treatment reduce inflammation and prevent the growth of new abnormal blood vessels. Recently new techniques have developed bicycles antibodies, which target several pathological processes simultaneously and are proving to be helpful in effective treatment. These new drugs are especially important for countries where diabetes is growing rapidly.
Dr. Praveen Vashistha, Professor of AIIMS RP Center, has said that diabetes has already become an epidemic in India and diabetes retinopathy is also emerging as a public health problem. He said that extensive initiative is necessary for raising awareness and screening in the country. Their goal is to ensure at least 80 percent of diabetes patients’ eye tests by 2030, reducing blindness and better life quality of people.
-IANS
PK/AS