Understanding Diabetic macular edema: Causes, Symptoms, and Management

What is it?

Diabetic macular edema is a complication that is more common in people who suffer from diabetes. This complication is caused where there is a build-up of fluid in the macula - the part of the eye that helps you achieve sharp and straight vision.

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Signs & symptoms

Common symptoms that characterize diabetic macular edema usually are blurred or double vision, sudden increase in eye floating objects, and even vision loss

Diagnosis

Diagnosis of diabetic macular edema usually starts when your eye doctor perform a comprehensive vision exam. Your may also asked to have the following exams: Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) With OCT - a machine that scans and measure the retina thickness; Fluorescein Angiography - A yellow dye is injected into a vein and moves through your blood vessels. Visual Acuity Test - an old, popular way to assess vision loss. It involves using a standardized chart with rows of letters.

Treatment

First line of treatment for diabetic macular edema is medications. The included medicines are Anti-Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (Anti-VEGF) drugs and steroid. In patients without respond to medication, laser treatment may be the next treatment option. The goal of the laser is to protect the vision you have and prevent future complications.

☝️ This is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult with your physician before making any medical decision.

Learn more about our editorial process for content accuracy.

Source of Information - We analyze big data of more than 23 million patients de-identified medical records from the following sources:

National Institution of Health ∙ World Health Organization ∙ University of Illinois hospital