Retinopathy Flashcards
what eye pathologies are common in people with diabetes?
diabetic retinopathy
diabetic macular oedema
cataract (clouding of the lens)
glaucoma (increase in fluid pressure in the eye resulting in optic nerve damage - twice as common in people with diabetes)
acute hyperglycaemia (can cause reversible visual blurring)
what are the different stages of retinopathy?
mild non-proliferative (background)
moderate non-proliferative
severe non-proliferative
proliferative
how is retinopathy graded?
R0-R4 gets progressively worse
how is maculopathy graded?
M1 and M2 (graded separately to retinopathy)
also gets progressively worse
what are haemorrhages?
dot/blot/frame on fundoscopy
what does a cotton wool spots mean?
ischaemic areas
what does a hard exudate suggest?
lipid breakdown product
IRMA (intra-retinal microvascular abnormalities)
abnormalities of blood vessels, precursor to neovascularisation (but blood vessels are patent i.e. not leaking)
how is retinopathy managed?
optical coherence tomography (OCT) - used for imaging - diabetic macular oedema
- laser - pan retinal photocoagulation
- vitrectomy
- can use intravitreal anti-VEGF e.g. ranibizumab (injection) for diabetic macular oedema
how do you screen for retinopathy?
annual screening for all (inc. low risk)diabetes patients, individuals needing referred to eye clinic are identified
what are 3 bad thing diabetes are one of the leading causes for?
blindness
dialysis
amputation