DIABETIC RETINOPATHIA AND ITS TREATMENT

Retinopathia diabetica (RD) is a severe complication of diabetes melli tus and is the main cause of legal blindness of working population in western countries. In average, 50% of diabetic patients show clinical signs of RD 25 years after the onset of diabetes mellitus. Patients wi th the type-I diabetes show in 40-60% a progressive, proliferative sta ge of RD after 20 to 25 years. This progressive form is in 30-40% of t he cases usually associated with the severe loss of visual performance (visual acuity less 20/200). The visual prognosis can be improved by lasercoagulation leading to a reduction of legal blindness in about 60 %. In severe cases a vitrectomy has to be performed in order to remove hemorrhages and epiretinal membranes as well as to reattach detached retina. Only a strong cooperation between general practitioners, inter nal medicine doctors and ophthalmologists will allow to detect early s tages of Diabetes mellitus and the associated retinopathy and subseque ntly lead to a successful therapy.