Diabetic Retinopathy

The image to the left is someone with normal vision.

The image to the right is someone who may suffer from Diabetic Retinopathy.

The topic I chose that relates to the class is Diabetic Retinopathy. This ties in because there is a loss in the vision due to bleeding in the eye. We had discussed other diseases that had damage to the retina. It is yet another disease that can affect the retina to lead to vision problems. The difference with this is one is that it damages the eye vessels on the retina. In the book it says the retina is a complex network of cells that covers the inside back of the eye. The cells include receptors to generate an electrical signal in response to light.

The reason I chose this topic is because my mom has diabetes and suffers from it. I know they do laser treatments to stop the blood vessels from bleeding in her eye. She says she can see but sometimes suffers from floaters in her eyes that are an annoyance. The scary part of diabetic retinopathy is that she can go blind from it if the doctors cannot keep control of the blood vessels swelling that can eventually bleed in her eyes. That is why they do the laser treatments. She is going to the eye doctor at least four times a year to make sure everything is under control. If there is an issue with the blood vessels swelling they do a laser treatment to control that. My mom usually has laser treatments a few times a year if necessary. She has suffered from this eye disease for a couple of years. It will never be cured but the laser treatments can help to save her vision to prevent it from getting worse for many more years.
My information came from: http://www.nei.nih.gov/health/diabetic/retinopathy.asp