diabetic retinopathy

Thân thiện

A doctor uses a retinal scan to check for diabetic retinopathy.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A medical condition affecting the retina: Diabetic retinopathy is a specific type of retinopathy, which is disease or damage to the retina. It involves damage to the small blood vessels (capillaries) in the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye (the retina).
   • A complication of diabetes: This condition is a direct result of chronically high blood glucose levels in individuals with poorly controlled diabetes. It is a progressive disease and a leading cause of vision impairment and blindness among adults.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • Regular eye exams are crucial for detecting diabetic retinopathy early.
  • The ophthalmologist explained that the blurred vision was caused by advanced diabetic retinopathy.
  • Managing blood sugar levels can help slow the progression of diabetic retinopathy.

Advanced Usage

• "Proliferative diabetic retinopathy": This is an advanced stage where new, abnormal blood vessels grow on the retina. These vessels are fragile and can bleed, leading to serious vision problems.
  • Laser treatment is often used to manage proliferative diabetic retinopathy.
• "Non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy" (NPDR): This is the earlier stage, where the existing blood vessels in the retina weaken and leak fluid or blood.
  • The patient was diagnosed with mild non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy.

Variants and Related Words

• Retinopathy (n): A general term for any disease of the retina. Diabetic retinopathy is one specific type.
  • Hypertensive retinopathy is damage caused by high blood pressure.
• Maculopathy (n): Damage specifically to the macula, the central part of the retina. Diabetic maculopathy is a common complication within diabetic retinopathy that affects central vision.
  • Diabetic maculopathy required a different treatment approach.

Synonyms

• Diabetic eye disease: A broader, more general term that can encompass diabetic retinopathy along with other diabetes-related eye conditions like cataracts and glaucoma.

Related Phrases

• "Screen for diabetic retinopathy": To conduct tests, typically an eye exam, to check for the presence of this condition.
  • Patients with diabetes should be screened for diabetic retinopathy annually.
• "Treatment for diabetic retinopathy": Medical interventions which may include laser surgery, injections, or vitrectomy.
  • New anti-VEGF injections are an effective treatment for diabetic retinopathy.

Related Medical Terminology

• Microaneurysm (n): A tiny bulge in a blood vessel wall, often the earliest detectable sign of diabetic retinopathy.
  • The fundus photograph revealed several microaneurysms.
• Neovascularization (n): The growth of new, abnormal blood vessels, characteristic of proliferative diabetic retinopathy.
  • The neovascularization was causing significant retinal traction.

Học thuật

Noun

1. retinopathy involving damage to the small blood vessels in the retina; results from chronically high blood glucose levels in people with poorly controlled diabetes