Maintenance in primary care

Some things to watch out for that can help manage diabetic retinopathy:

Good blood sugar control. The better the patients sugar control, the less likely they are to run into eye problems (although there are occasionally patients with good control and complicated ophthalmological problems related to their diabetes). If a patient goes from very poor control to much better control, sometimes their vision can get worse. It is, however, generally thought to be better for their health and for their eyes overall if their glucose control is optimised.
Advise smokers to stop smoking.
Monitor and treat hypertension and hypercholesterolaemia if present. Increased BP can make eye problems worse. High cholesterol may increase the risk of vein occlusions.
Monitor patients for other signs of diabetic microvascular disease as similar problems to what can be seen in the eyes may be taking place in the kidneys and nerve endings.

Learn more about Diabetic Retinopathy...

Last updated: 28 March 2012