How Is Diabetic Retinopathy Treated?

Aug. 24, 2009— -- Question: How is diabetic retinopathy treated?

Answer: The very best treatment for diabetic retinopathy in the long run is excellent control of your blood sugar as well as control of your blood pressure and your blood cholesterol level. In cases where retinopathy does develop, you may develop swelling from the leakage in the blood vessels, and when there's swelling in the retina, that is treated with laser. In other cases, there may be bleeding from abnormal blood vessel growth in your retina. Most cases of bleeding can also be treated with laser. There are some cases with severe bleeding or other cases where there's scar tissue that pulls on and detaches the retina where an operation called vitrectomy is required.